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National Parks of Azerbaijan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Parks of Azerbaijan refers to the situation of national parks in Azerbaijan. National parks are the public lands or bodies of water of special environmental, historical and other importance, which bear the status of governmental institutions. They serve to the purposes of environmental protection, educational, scientific, cultural researches, etc. Protecting environment and serving the educational, scientific, cultural and other purposes.
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As a country located in the Caucasus and Minor Asia between the Black and Caspian Seas, Azerbaijan has a rich culture, widest biodiversity among the European states and enormous natural resources.
The lands with specially protected ecosystem play the crucial roles in biodiversity preservation. The activity of such natural bodies promotes the preservation of rare and endangered species of plants and animals.
Azerbaijan has a total of 6 national parks, 13 state natural parks and 21 reserves, which can be seen here below:
- Ordubad National Park
- Shirvan National Park
- Ag-Gol National Park
- Hirkan National Park
- Altyaghach National Park
- Absheron National Park
The Ordubad National Park is characterized by rich biological diversity. It has 58 species of animals (35 of vertebrates and 23 of insects) and 39 species of plants which are included into the Red Book of Azerbaijan. The National Park comprises such rare and endangered species as Minor Asian leopard, the mountain sheep-moufflon, bezoar goat, white-tail sea eagle, golden eagle, little bustard.
The Shirvan National Park has a semi-desert landscape and water body of approximately 4000 hectares. The national park has an extremely rich ornithological fauna. Rare and valuable species of birds (turaj, little bustard, bustard, swans, flamingo, etc) winter and nest in the marshy areas. Djeyran gazelles are the most widely spread mammals in the region.
Ag-Gol National Park is located in the Mil plain of the Kur-Araz lowlands, it has semi-desert landscape and deserved the title of a bird paradise, as the most important winter and nest place of birds. The ornithological fauna of this reserve is very rich. Over 140 species of birds are found in this place including 89 species of nesting birds (Partridge, spoonbill, swan, teal, bastard, etc). Ag-Gol national park is designed to protect the marshy ecological systems, as the nesting and wintering places of migratory and water birds. Ag-Gol has been incorporated into the list of UNESCO's convention "On internationally important marshy areas as the residing places of birds"
Hirkan National Park preserves relict and endemic plants species of Tertiary period. Forests of Hirkan account for 150 out of 435 types of trees and bushes. One can come across such types of trees, included into the Red Book of Azerbaijan as, Hirkan box tree, iron tree, chestnut leave oak, fig-tree, Hirkan pear-tree, Silk Acacia, Caucasus palm-tree, Caspian gleditschia, butcher's broom, alder-tree, such animals as the leopard, the Talysh pheasant, golden eagle, etc.
For the purpose of including the Hirkan forests into UNESCO's list of cultural and natural heritage, documents substantiated from the scientific point of view have been prepared and introduced to the UNESCO Secretariat.
The area of Altyaghach is for 90.5% covered by broad-leaved forests. The major types of trees are iron trees, Caucasus hornbeam, Oriental beech, cud, birch-tree, etc. Animals as the roe deer, bear, wild boar, lynx, coon, fox, rabbit, squirrel, wolf, etc are found on the territory of this park.
The predecessor of Absheron National Park during Soviet times was the Absheron State Nature Preserve which was created on July of 1969 in order to protect gazelle, Caspian seal and water birds inhabited in the territory. The climate of the area is mild-hot, specific to semi-desert and dry steppe. Types and phytomass of flora is too poor here, plants are changed respective of water and saltiness regime of area. Sea coastal sand plants (42,6%), meadows with jigilgamish and paz grass (13,2%), one-year saline grasses (5,2%) and etc are spread. Ephemeras also develop well in early spring. In dry area gazelle, jackal, fox, rabbit, badger, in Caspian waters seal and various fishes, birds such as silver gull, wheezing swan, grey and red-headed black, white-eyed black ducks, big white bittern, sandpiper, bald-coot, marsh belibagli, sea bozcha and other migrant birds have inhabited here. Animals and birds inhabiting in Shirvan National Park, names of which have been included in the Red Books, exist in Absheron National Park as well.