The Karabakh National Park is being created on the territories liberated from occupation

The Karabakh National Park is being established in Azerbaijan.

As reported by BAKU.WS, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a corresponding decree.

The document is aimed at expanding the network of specially protected natural areas, creating new protected natural zones in the territories liberated from occupation, promoting and achieving international recognition of the region's rich ecosystem and natural heritage, restoring and preserving biodiversity, ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources, expanding socio-economic opportunities, and developing ecotourism.

According to the decree, the Karabakh National Park is being established on a territory with a total area of 88,418 hectares using state-owned lands:

- Agdara district - 44,773.79 hectares;

- Khojaly district - 24,597.8 hectares;

- Kalbajar district - 13,514.98 hectares;

- Shusha district - 5,314.34 hectares;

- Lachin district - 217.09 hectares.

The allocated lands have been classified under the category of specially protected natural area lands. The boundaries of the national park are defined in the land management plan appended to the decree.

The Cabinet of Ministers has been tasked with resolving the issues arising from this document.

The decree notes that the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions have historically possessed a rich and distinctive natural heritage.

During the period when these territories were under Armenian occupation, significant damage was inflicted on biodiversity. Rare species of plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Azerbaijan and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature were destroyed. All of this led to the disruption of the ecological balance across the entire region.

Following the Patriotic War, a number of measures are being implemented in the liberated territories to restore the ecological balance, including natural ecosystems and rich biodiversity, to rehabilitate specially protected natural areas, and to transform the region into a zone of clean environment and "green growth."

Within the framework of the "Great Return" program, the operations of the Basitchay State Nature Reserve, located in the administrative territory of the Zangilan district of the East Zangezur economic region, as well as the Dashalti State Nature Sanctuary in the administrative territories of the Shusha and Khojaly districts of the Karabakh economic region, have been restored.