A panel discussion titled "60 Years of Conservation: IUCN's Red List" has been organized by IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection) Public Union in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Azernews reports.
Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of IDEA Public Union C, Leyla Aliyeva, emphasized the crucial role of protecting endangered biological species in safeguarding global ecosystems and biodiversity during the opening of the event. She pointed out that preventing the extinction of living organisms is a global challenge that requires collective action within an environment of international solidarity and cooperation.
Subsequently, information was provided to the participants about the rich nature of the South Caucasus and several animal species native to the region that have gone extinct.
Leyla Aliyeva highlighted the activities carried out by IDEA Public Union since 2011, emphasizing that the protection of rare species and the conservation of rare animal and plant species unique to our country, as well as their population recovery, are among the organization’s main areas of focus. She noted the project titled "The Big Five of the Caucasus," which was presented to the public in 2012 in collaboration with the IUCN. It was reported that several steps have been taken to protect and increase the populations of species such as the Caucasian leopard, gazelle, brown bear, gray wolf, and imperial eagle.
Later, Leyla Aliyeva stated that since 2017, a total of 46European bison have been brought to Shahdag National Park for the purpose of population recovery and reintroduction into the natural habitat, with plans to increase their number to 100 by 2028. She also said that as a result of the gazelle reintroduction project and other relevant measures, the gazelle population in the country has reached 8,000, and hundreds of thousands of sturgeon fry have been released into the Caspian Sea and other water bodies in Azerbaijan.
The event, moderated by Oliver Avramoski, Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia of IUCN, included discussions by IUCN's Director-General Grethel Aguilar, Chief Executive of Conservation International's Forest Strategy Jason Funk, and Chief Manager of BirdLife International Cathy Yitong Li, who shared their views on the importance of protecting the species listed in the IUCN Red List and preserving global biodiversity through collaborative efforts and results-oriented actions.
