Azerbaijan continues taking measures in order to restore the biodiversity of Karabakh [liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020], Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, said in an interview with the EUobserver, an online newspaper based in Brussels, Trend reports.

According to the minister, the restoration of the liberated lands, specifically Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions, is now on top of the agenda for the country.

“First, the territory has to be cleared of land mines, which is painstaking and time-consuming work. But last month we were able to release tiny Brook Trout (Salmo trutta fario) into the Besitchay and Hakari rivers in Zangilan. We also planted chinar saplings in Besitchay State Nature Reserve in an attempt to replace the rare Oriental Plane trees felled during the occupation,” Babayev said.

As the minister noted, rehabilitating the territories, Azerbaijan also gets the opportunity to mitigate the impact of the climate change, and strives to turn the land into a net zero emission zone by 2050 in line with “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-economic Development” strategy, by building “smart” cities and villages.