BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 20
By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
There were 24 species of fauna and 69 species of flora included in the IUCN Red List in specially protected natural areas stretching 43,000 hectares under the occupation of Armenian troops - Besitchay and Garagol state natural reserves, Arazboyu, Lachin, Gubadli and Dashalti state natural preserves, most of which have been destroyed, Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev said.
Babayev made the remark at the regional event dedicated to the International Year of Plant Health, Trend reports on Oct. 20.
“More than 460 species of wild trees and shrubs grow in the occupied territories,” the minister said. “Seventy species of them are endemic plants that do not grow anywhere in the world in natural conditions.”
"There is no much information about the flora of Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts,” the minister said. “Taking this into account, after the liberation of these territories soon, the process of studying rare and endangered flora will be launched. For this purpose, the third volume of the Red List of Threatened Species of Azerbaijan will be published."