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Data sources:

(6.1) Specially protected areas provided by the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has very diverse protected area management categories, which vary in size, aim and management approaches. The existing structure of Azerbaijan’s protected area system includes three major categories of national and local importance: (1) nature reserves correspond to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories Ia and Ib; (2) national sanctuaries are equivalent to IUCN category II; and (3) national parks in Azerbaijan are managed in a similar way to the management practices of the habitat and species management areas of IUCN category IV, which have gained focus since 2003. 

Analysis shows that the most common IUCN category of terrestrial protected areas in Azerbaijan have been strict nature reserves/wilderness area (categories Ia and Ib) and nationa parks (category II), but that after the 2000s, habitat/species management area (category IV) have become equally important. 

In the context of implementation of various protected areas management categories, the state nature reserves in Azerbaijan are designated as areas of nature conservation and as scientific institutions or organisations established for the purpose of preserving characteristic and unique natural complexes and objects in their natural condition, and for studying the course of natural processes and phenomena.

National parks are areas of special ecological, historical, aesthetic and other important natural complexes and nature conservation and also scientific institutions or organisations that are used for conservation, enlightenment, scientific, cultural and other purposes.

State nature sanctuaries are areas that are of special importance for preservation or restoration of natural complexes or their components, as well as for the preservation of ecological balance.

As a result of a lack of data, complementarity analyses on European desgination (Emerald Network) and national desgination could not be performed. However, during recent years, Azerbaijan has nominated 17 sites in the Emerald Network, with a total area of 1 679 533 ha, which corresponds to 19.4 % of the country’s territory (Roeakaerts and Opermanis, 2018).