The reserve is intended to protect the natural ecosystem of the subalpine zones of the northern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus.

oxycarpa), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis), Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis), velvet maple (Acer velutinum), Cappadocian maple (Acer cappadocicum), Caucasian lime tree (Tilia dasystyla subsp.

There are several endemic subspecies of birds, of which the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus), mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus), stock dove (Columba oenas), Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), woodlark (Lullula arborea), mute swan (Cygnus olor), common quail (Coturnix coturnix), Caspian titmouse (Poecile hyrcanus) subspecies of the titmouse; the Caucasus pheasant (Phasianus colchicus colchicus) subspecies of the common pheasant are common.

Despite occasional sightings, it was not clear whether leopards had been extinct in Azerbaijan by the late 1990s until a species was caught on camera in March, 2007 in the Hirkan National Park.

A documentary film titled “Göygöl Milli Parkı” (Goygol National Park) was shot in 2015.