State reserves of Azerbaijan
State Reserves bear the status of governmental establishments aimed at environmental protection and scientific researches.
The utilization of the lands of State natural reserves, as well as animals and plants, found within their boundaries for industrial purposes is prohibited by the law.
See below for the list: Basut-Chay State Reserve was established on the area of 1.07 km2 in 1974 for preserving and protecting the rare Oriental plane-tree.
It mainly protects rare and endangered tugai ecological systems, occupying the lands in the mid stream of the Kur.
Gizil-Agach State Reserve was established on the area of 884 km2 south-west of the Caspian Sea shore for the purpose of protecting, creating conditions for wintering and nesting of migrant, swamp and wild birds in 1929.
The reserve was included of the list of UNESCO Ramseur convention "On internationally important swampy areas as the birds' residing places".
Gobustan State Reserve is very rich in archeological monuments, the reserve has more than 600,000 rock paintings, which depict primitive men, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, pictures of sun and stars, on the average dating back to 5,000–20,000 years.
[3] In 2001 one mud volcano 15 kilometers from Baku made world headlines when it suddenly started spewing flames 15 meters high.
It aims to protect natural complexes of southern slopes of Major Caucasus, to preserve rare and endangered flora and fauna, to restore forests and prevent erosion of soil and flood.
Ismailli State Reserve was established on the area of 57.78 km2 in 1981 for preservation and protection of natural complexes, occupying the north part of southern slope of Major Caucasus.
Forests are mainly formed by such tree types as beech, hornbeam and oak, the small number of birch-tree, cud, lime-tree, etc.
One can come across such mammals as brown bear, wolf, forest cat, lynx, weasel, wild boar, roe deer, etc.
Turian-Chay State Reserve was established on the area of 126.3 km2 in 1958 for the purposes of protection and restoration of arid forest complexes in Bozdagh and prevention of erosion processes in the mountainous slopes.
Gara-Gel State Reserve was established on the area of 2.4 km2 in 1987 for protection and preservation of rare ecological system of the lake of glacial origin and natural complexes surrounding the water basin.
The reserve aims to protect Sub-Alpine plants of southern slopes of the Major Caucasus and the natural complexes of Alpine and nival zones.
It also has a rich fauna, that includes among others the Caucasian mountain buffalo, fox, forest cat, lynx, squirrel, weasel, etc.
Azerbaijan has taken drastic measures to improve the ecology of the country, more than 10 new reserves were created in order to protect and preserve the nature.
