Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 2 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Armenia is destroying the natural heritage of the Azerbaijani region of Khojavand, the Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry reported today. 18 years have passed since Azerbaijan's Khojavand region was occupied by Armenia.
The ministry's operative center dealing with monitoring the devastating impact to the environment and natural resources in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan reported that narcotic substances grown in the region are sold to various countries, arsons are often committed in these territories, fauna and flora is destroyed. Trees used for heating materials are cut and taken to Armenia and sold to other countries.
The fires in the occupied region completely destroyed 47 species of plants and 19 species of trees.
Armenia occupied the Khojavend region on Oct.2, 1992. The regions' area is 145,647 hectares.
The Khojavand region, which is one of the ancient human settlements with specific natural resources and natural sites, had the deposits of gabbro (intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt) with reserves of 2.034 million cubic meters, and the limestone deposit with reserves of 989,000 tons, suitable for the production of lime, ground water with probable reserves of 90,330 cubic meters per day.
There was preserved one eastern plane tree with a diameter of 600 cm, height 25 m and aged 2,000 years in near the Girmizi Bazaar (Red Bazaar) in the Khojavand region.
Oak trees were cut in Khojavand forest, natural forest on the banks of the Khojashin river, trees (fig trees, mulberry trees, pomegranate trees, haw tree, oak trees, elm trees) in 6, 000ha of area in Kurapatkino village were cut down.
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