BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23. Environmental
protection issues are of great importance to the population of the
whole world today, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Rashad
Ismayilov said in an interview with Trend International News Agency and ARB24 TV
channel.
According to him, the fight against climate change, land
degradation, air and water pollution, and water scarcity have
become very serious issues.
“These issues are now transboundary in nature. I would say that
the effectiveness of steps taken within any state to resolve these
issues is low. Therefore, I believe that it is now necessary for
the work done to resolve these issues to be considered together at
the regional, global, and world community levels, and the results
of the measures taken together will be more targeted. A serious and
on-the-agenda issue is climate change, we see it, it causes serious
concern in our daily lives and among the population. The reasons
are clear,” he noted.
Solid waste may double by 2050
The minister pointed out that the recent rains in Baku have also
raised serious questions among the population. This is an example
of climate change.
“Waste management can also be mentioned among these trends. It
is becoming a very serious problem. According to the UN, in 2023,
the volume of solid waste exceeded 2 billion tons. According to
forecasts, this figure may double by 2050,” he said.
Ismayilov also emphasized the importance of international events
held in Azerbaijan.
“I believe that international events in this area only serve
common goals. The Azerbaijani state is in a leading position in
this area. The Azerbaijani state comes up with certain initiatives
and is accepted by the world community. Our population sees this,
our citizens are witnesses to this. I would like to specially
mention the COP29 event. New challenges were put forward for the
world community, and at the same time, along with education for
Azerbaijani citizens, it gave impetus to the growth of a new
climate and environmental protection culture. I must say that the
responsibility of our people in this area has already increased.
The WUF13 event – the World Urban Forum – held in Baku these days
has already attracted our citizens. We are monitoring and seeing
the number of people registering,” he explained.
The minister pointed out that urban planning has not gone far
from environmental problems.
“The most important component of urban planning, at least for
our ministry, is the environment, the environment in which our
people live, air quality, various, so to speak, accessibility
issues – all of these are the subjects of comprehensive study at
that event today.
Each of these international events individually plays a very
important role in the formation of a new mindset of our citizens,”
he noted.
Two national parks to be established in liberated
territories in near future
Ismayilov pointed out that the ministry’s goal is to increase
the number and size of national parks.
“Nature in Azerbaijan is distinguished by its diversity. There
is a Biological Diversity Protection Service operating under the
ministry in this area. Specially protected areas in Azerbaijan are
under the management of that institution. There are 12 national
parks in Azerbaijan. We have many reserves and sanctuaries. These
are areas with different regimes, and the management of these areas
is a very important issue. Today, increasing the area of our
national parks serves to familiarize our people with nature. In
particular, our foreign guests are also very interested in the
richness of our nature. We are constantly in contact with the
relevant ministries of various countries, we hold bilateral
meetings. They know the names of the pearls of our nature, such as
Goygol, and they know where they are located. During meetings with
ambassadors in Azerbaijan, comparing the species of the animal
world that we have with those in their countries is already
becoming a place of interest for them and attracting tourists from
those countries. The ministry’s goal is to increase the number and
size of these areas. In 2025, two new national parks will be opened
in Azerbaijan. was created. As you probably know, one of them is
the Ilisu National Park. This national park was created on the
basis of the Ilisu reserve, its area increased. At the same time,
by the decree of the esteemed President Ilham Aliyev, a new
national park was also created in Azerbaijan, called
Akhar-Bahar.
It has a very attractive name, and in fact, its nature is very
rich. Probably, our population sees the video information released
by the ministry. This national park was created completely anew –
in areas where there were no restrictions, no reserves. This is an
indicator that we are already exploring the richness of new
territories and trying to increase their protection regime. Today,
work is underway to expand the territory of the Absheron National
Park. In fact, it is a very important issue, we are thinking of
covering more areas near the watershed, in the part of the Caspian
Sea,” Ismayilov added.
The minister noted that two new national parks will be created
in Azerbaijan in the near future.
“At the same time, we are also active in this direction in the
territories liberated from occupation. Those territories have been
exposed to external influences for a long time, our forests have
been destroyed, and biodiversity has been seriously damaged. Today,
we also have a moral obligation to apply a separate regime there,
organize their protection.
The creation of national parks is a complex issue. Especially
considering that large-scale construction work is underway in the
liberated territories. As you know, economic activity is almost
prohibited in the territory of national parks. Today, we have
established cooperation with other bodies, mutual discussions are
underway. We have divided them into economic zones: the Karabakh
economic zone, the East Zangezur economic zone. I believe that in
the near future we will witness the creation of two new national
parks. One part will be created in the Karabakh economic zone, and
the other part will be created in the East Zangezur zone, which
will cover an area of 10,000 hectares. These are very large
areas, and when selecting the areas, we mainly tried to cover areas
with a greater wealth of nature and a variety of fauna. At the same
time, the existing restrictions in the legislation on national
parks are also taken into account. We are trying to ensure that
when our population moves to these areas in the future, pasture
lands remain for them, and that we do not touch the areas for
cultivation as much as possible. Work in this area is ongoing. I
believe that in the near future we’ll witness the creation of our
first national park in those areas,” he explained.
Speaking about hunting activities, the minister noted that
climate change also has a serious impact on this area.
“Today, there are 13 existing hunting farms in Azerbaijan. These
farms operate under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources. It is a sensitive issue. The Ministry of Ecology
and Natural Resources, I would say, is a conservative ministry. Our
goal is to avoid touching nature as much as possible, to keep it
away from anthropogenic impact. However, interest in the
traditional hunting sector in Azerbaijan is very high. I would say
that even when we impose some restrictions, our citizens have
questions: “The season has already started, why is the season
opening late?”, “Why are the limits being strictly applied?” In the
current situation, it is clear that climate change also has a
serious impact on this area. We are trying to initially base our
work in this area on censuses. What does this mean? Before the
season, our specialists from the Biological Diversity Protection
Service conduct a census of species and collect information about
the current population.
The goal is to try to prevent the decline of populations.
Accordingly, a special council operating within the ministry – in
which there are specialists from the Academy of Sciences,
specialists from relevant institutes are involved, and specialists
from non-governmental organizations are also working in this area.
The issue is being discussed. Based on that respect, we approach
the issue cautiously, within certain limits, we try to divide the
season into parts by species. Depending on the results of that
season, that part, we can continue or stop hunting for a certain
species in the same season. It is clear that this sometimes causes
dissatisfaction among our citizens. But as I said earlier, our
people, our citizens have become more nature-loving today. From the
calls from the public and the applications received by the
ministry, we see that even if there are points of dissatisfaction,
it is mostly presented as a question of why this happened, why the
limits were low. For the future, we think that we will fully
digitalize this area because we believe that the most serious issue
here is accounting issues,” he noted.
According to him, there are no restrictions on the issuance of
hunting tickets.
“We must constantly monitor our populations. In this regard, we
have already started issuing hunting permits in a test mode through
the Digital Ecology Information System – we call it REIS –
established by President Ilham Aliyev at the beginning of 2025.
Hunting tickets are usually issued by ASAN service. Applications
are reviewed in accordance with the requirements and they are
presented to our citizens in a timely manner. There are many
applications. This area is always of interest to our citizens,” he
said.
The minister noted that the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources intends to digitalize daily and amateur hunting
activities in the future.
“In the next stages, we generally want to digitize daily hunting
activities, amateur hunting activities. When our hunters go
hunting, we will both track their movement trajectory and organize
control. This is actually for the protection of our hunters
themselves. At the same time, we are thinking of using this
electronic system to serve as a record-keeping system, that is, to
register the prey obtained during hunting. This is a matter of the
future, a clear issue. It’s possible that some will perceive this
as a restriction, as a tighter framework. But we think that,
overall, our population will welcome these issues. Because the main
goal is the protection of our nature, the protection of the
environment,” he added.
Ismayilov said that there is a land fund called the “forest
fund” in Azerbaijan, and these areas exceed 1 million 200,000
hectares.
“It covers approximately 14% of Azerbaijan. However, when we say
forest, we do not mean only these areas. There are also municipal
forests, there are forests on other reserve fund lands, the
greenness of which is reported by us. In general, it is clear that
not all of the forest fund is covered with forest. Today, we can
say that more than 1 million hectares of our territory is covered
with forest.
In general, this is a low indicator. For example, if we compare
the Scandinavian countries with the Baltic states, over 40-45% of
their territory is covered with forest. Recently, we were
discussing with our partners from Slovakia. It is a Central
European country, more than 40% of its territory is covered with
forest. At the same time, our forests also belong to the first
category of forests. Therefore, the use of these forests in
industry is not considered advisable.
If we look back at our forest history, back to the 1990s, when
the USSR collapsed, we can see that the country experienced certain
difficulties with energy supply and gas supply. Unfortunately,
these problems that existed at that time had a very serious and
negative impact on our forests. Today, relevant work is being
carried out together with the State Property Service to accurately
determine the volume of forest areas, and this activity is almost
nearing completion. Currently, the final completion work is being
carried out to approve the re-mapping of forest fund territories.
The final stage of all these activities will create the basis for
the implementation of extensive protection measures in forest
areas. Currently, the existing forest cover is being taken into
account, and as mentioned earlier, reforestation measures have been
initiated in vacant areas without tree cover,” he explained.
Reforestation work carried out on 40,000 hectares of
land in Azerbaijan
Ismayilov noted that reforestation activities were carried out
on a total of 40,000 hectares in Azerbaijan from 2020 to 2026.
“It’s clear that one of the most important issues on the agenda
is the restoration of forest areas in the liberated territories. In
this context, it is planned to restore 110 hectares of forest land
in the Lachin district, and the implementation of the project is
expected to start towards the end of this year.
In general, the cultivation of seedlings is one of the most
important tasks ahead in the field of forestry. Forest restoration
is carried out both by growing and planting young seedlings and by
direct seed sowing. The level of completion is higher in forest
areas restored by the seedling planting method,” the minister
added.
2 million tree seedlings to be grown in Jabrayil
district
According to him, the “Seedling Center” operating in the
Jabrayil district aims to grow two million seedlings per year.
“Starting from the end of 2024, the Forest Development Service
has begun installing large greenhouses. So far, five large
greenhouse complexes have been installed. Currently, nearly one
million seedlings are grown in these greenhouses annually. These
greenhouse systems bring great advantages to forestry. Since
seedlings grow faster than normal in artificial and warm
conditions, nature gets a whole season ahead. Since seedlings
mature faster, they can be used more quickly in forest restoration
and new afforestation activities.
In addition, we have a major project in another liberated
territory – Jabrayil. With the support of the Turkish state, the
“Smart Seedling Center” covering an area of 97 hectares has been
established. The foundation of this center was personally laid by
President Ilham Aliyev and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan. It’s planned that the center will start operating at full
capacity by the end of this year. The center will both grow
seedlings using modern methods and will function as a regional
training center. It’s aimed to grow two million seedlings per year,
which will make an invaluable contribution to the restoration of
forests in the liberated areas. At the same time, there are other
alternative projects that are at the initial stage,” he added.
Azerbaijan launches first pilot project on industrial
forestry
The minister emphasized that the first pilot project for the
establishment of industrial forests is being launched in
Azerbaijan.
“Currently, there are no industrial forests in Azerbaijan.
However, there have been certain requests from both society and
local entrepreneurs in this direction. Looking at world experience,
industrial forest planting is a widely practiced practice, and
industrial forests are planted, especially in China, as well as in
Germany and Spain. Very extensive planting has also begun in
Uzbekistan. Recently, during our meeting with our Uzbek partners,
an initiative was put forward to plant Paulownia and fast-growing
poplar tree species. We have studied this issue. We believe that if
we can carry out afforestation of these types of trees through our
entrepreneurs for the purpose of industrial forest, this will be a
step forward. We will be able to restore our forests more quickly.
At the same time, our population will also be able to benefit from
this. The main point here is Paulownia trees, which are not typical
for Azerbaijan, so we are sensitive to this issue. A pilot project
is being launched on an area of 100 hectares, and depending on
the results, we will move on to the next steps. At the same time,
we are also partnering with the Ministry of Economy regarding the
effectiveness of this work. Foreign experts are also being involved
in this work. In parallel, work is being carried out on the
efficiency and contribution of this work to the Azerbaijani
economy. This type of tree planting is also being actively carried
out in European countries,” he noted.
Speaking about the issue of firewood use and fuel, the minister
noted that during the energy shortage in the 1990s, the population
widely used forests as a source of firewood. However, as the level
of gasification in settlements increases, this demand is gradually
decreasing.
“We have remote villages and healthcare facilities, military
units in remote regions, which require firewood today. In 2023, the
Cabinet of Ministers approved the volumes, according to which
sanitary felling is carried out in forests by the Forest
Development Service. The upper limit was set at about 84,000 cubic
meters, but for example, last year, the volume of firewood we
removed was 67,000 cubic meters. We are trying to minimally affect
our nature and forests. At the same time, we use trees that have
already lived their lives, let’s say, rotten, dried trees, during
these sanitary fellings. Work is also underway to organize serious
control in this area.
Today, I call this ‘forest poaching’. There are also illegal
logging and scraps. The fight against this is also one of the
service’s areas of activity. These days, we have tried to take
advantage of alternative, objective control directions. For
example, I can say that we have already applied this in the field
of biodiversity protection. Citizens can familiarize themselves
with it on our website, the official website of the ministry. How
did we establish the approach? In previous periods, there was also
surveillance with surveillance cameras in various places. We went
one step further. We have already applied this in the Shamkir
reserve. Surveillance cameras were installed and those video images
are currently being published online through the ministry’s
website.
We advocate for not only oversight by a single ministry and its
subordinate bodies, but also for broader public scrutiny, so that
changes can be observed and assessed objectively. We prevented an
illegal charcoal production in that area and other types of
activities related to wood production. After installing
surveillance cameras and applying this approach, we became the
reason for the revival of that lake. Today, in the season, when we
look, we see how many birds, new bird species, even come to that
lake. We are inspired by this, we consider it a positive
experience, and taking advantage of this, we are already increasing
the number of cameras to carry out video surveillance in our forest
areas, especially in the areas of entry and exit to the forest, to
prevent illegal activities,” the minister added.
Drones and artificial intelligence to be used in fight
against “forest poaching”
The minister said that by the end of this year, cameras will be
installed in certain areas, mainly in risk zones, and the footage
will be broadcast online.
“We believe that this will deter some of our citizens from that
illegal activity,” he explained.
Ismayilov noted that drones will be purchased at the initial
stage to strengthen control in risky areas.
“Today, we have come to the conclusion that we will also use
modern technologies. This is also the purchase of drones. The
contract has already been signed, we’ll purchase our first drones
and apply them in this area. We are thinking about organizing this
work on artificial intelligence-based platforms. Relevant contracts
have already been signed, and work has begun on this. What will
happen logically? We are thinking about the systems of other
institutions on the existing e-government portal, to form their
history by writing additional modules. These days, when we want to
carry out some control measures, we go to open Google sources. We
try to monitor any changes ourselves.
After taking the first images in the newly implemented system,
comparisons with the images taken in the next stages will be
carried out by the electronic system, and in case of any changes
(illegal logging, etc.), the relevant institutions will be
immediately informed. This will allow for more operational
interventions. The groundwork will be laid. Of course, we are still
at the initial stage of these issues, but I believe that in the
near future we will be able to organize these works in certain
areas. First, we have chosen the Ismayilli forests, forests that
are distinguished by their richness. We want to organize this
there. Perhaps, after achieving successful results, we’ll be able
to organize these works in other areas as well,” he said.
The minister noted that today there are 650 recreational
facilities operating in our forest fund. Approximately 40% of them
have violations, and some facilities have not been documented on
time, but all of these facilities exist.
“These days, we have already stopped granting new recreational
facilities. What did we base it on? We looked at the experience of
other states. I can give an example, if I am not mistaken, in
Latvia, 45% of which is covered with forest, and the number of
recreational facilities does not exceed 300. In this regard, we
considered that we shouldn’t rush to open any additional new
recreational facilities. We are working on the issue of existing
ones.
We conducted our inspections. Today, notifications are issued to
recreational facilities that already have violations, and within
two months, we issue requirements to eliminate those violations,
indicating those violations. The other part, a lot, which doesn’t
have documents at all. Which has been built with serious
environmental problems, etc. We are already taking steps to
eliminate some of these, lawsuits have also been filed in the
courts. I understand that this is a sensitive point. In this
regard, we are also considering legislative initiatives today to
bring the 650 recreational facilities we have listed into a
legitimate format. In what way can this be possible maybe, work is
being done on it.
At the same time, in terms of increasing their number, we think
that this is already a sufficient number today, which is managed by
the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
We are thinking about cooperation with the Tourism Agency,
discussions have been held. Perhaps, in the future, some attraction
points in a cluster format in a number of areas will be selected
and given to the management of the Tourism Agency, and the agency
will already conduct organizational work in those areas from the
point of view of tourism. At the same time, it will be more
convenient for us to manage these areas from an ecological point of
view, in terms of compliance with environmental requirements. We
see this as the future, but work is currently continuing on the
existing ones,” he said.
Ismayilov pointed out that regular awareness-raising activities
are being carried out regarding tree pruning and the removal of
dangerous, dead trees. Various videos are being made and
disseminated to the general public. However, the applications
received show that the level of awareness of our society in this
area is still low.
“Regarding pruning, one should definitely contact the greening
management departments operating under the jurisdiction of local
executive authorities. At the same time, if it is on municipal
land, one should contact the municipalities. In general, there are
no ownerless trees in Azerbaijan. This is a land issue and each
landowner must manage the trees on their land. These are
municipalities, local executive authorities, and in relation to
state lands – forest fund lands, specially protected areas,
national parks, reserves – the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources. In relation to lands in private ownership, our citizens
should do this. The position regarding the removal of trees is such
that the owner must apply to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources, and in this case, an inspection of those trees is
already carried out on site. Permits for the removal or relocation
of greenery can be issued based on the expert opinion issued by the
State Ecological Expertise Agency of the Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources. However, this should only be done based on the
expert opinion.
No expert opinion is required for pruning. Pruning is carried
out regularly by the institutions I mentioned. They themselves
attract relevant specialists and carry out pruning in accordance
with the position and attitude of those specialists. It is simply
required that the applications of our citizens be directed
correctly. At the same time, these applications mainly come from
residential areas and the territory of our cities,” he
explained.
More than 87,000 trees electronically registered in
Azerbaijan
The minister said that since 2025, work has begun on digital
accounting of trees in our cities. Trees are mainly coded in the
center of Baku and special signs are installed on them. Through the
QR code, citizens can obtain complete detailed information about a
tree simply by phone. Citizens who have any position or suggestion
regarding a tree can even write an application.
“This is being considered by the relevant departments of the
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, those applications are
responded to, and appropriate measures are taken if necessary. Such
practices exist in many countries, such as keeping records of
trees. We have improved this issue a little. We have organized
registration on the general map on the ‘agac.az’ electronic page.
These days, by either reading that QR code on the phone or entering
the code on the tree on the computer on that site, we see the
location of that tree on that map. These days, I would say that
more than 87,000 trees have already been registered. This was
started in the Sabail district as a pilot project. As soon as the
project started, applications came from other cities. We applied
this in Sumgayit, Ganja, and Mingachevir, and we have started these
works.
At the same time, there was an application from Shamakhi
recently. We have also started this work in the southern region. We
can see it on the map. We can go to that website right now. When
you enter the site and open the tree information, you enter
information such as: what type of tree it is, how high it is, what
is its diameter, and the condition of the tree – good,
insufficient, etc. In the future, our specialists will probably
inspect these trees every 3 years to clarify the current situation.
Today, when applications are received regarding relocation and
removal, we are already applying it.
Generally, when such applications are received, we demand that
our institutions register those trees and, in general, before
removal, the condition of the tree be registered through the
system, have photos, and its location be visible. After that, for
example, the tree should be cut down, removed, is it already
rotten, in an emergency, etc., and finally, a decision should be
made. After removing it, we often require, depending on its
location, that a new tree be planted in its place – a tree
appropriate to the season, appropriate to its location, and that
tag, plaque, is already placed on that tree and entered into the
electronic system. We can now also track the history of the tree’s
location, whether there was an emergency tree here. It was removed,
an existing sapling was planted in its place, and a picture of that
sapling was also placed. After these works were done, we see a
significant decrease in complaints.
Today, of course, it is impossible to put signs on all the trees
in our cities, but we are moving in this direction. I believe that
by organizing the accounting of trees and greenery in this way, we
will be able to achieve transparency in this area, we will be able
to monitor the trees in general, and when the time comes, we will
be able to promptly organize their replacement. This will ensure
that our overall green fund in cities is kept in balance, that is,
in terms of number, only after we achieve this, it will be possible
to increase it, and it will not be possible to decrease it. Because
our trees are registered, and when they are removed, any tree
planted in their place will be registered. Our new tree planting
campaigns are regularly communicated to the general public. These
campaigns are carried out both in Baku and in other regions. In
particular, I would like to note that we call 2024 the COP year, we
call it conditional, that year large-scale tree planting campaigns
were held in all regions. We were also approached by regions
regarding the provision of seedlings. “We have provided for each
one as much as possible and are also organizing the monitoring of
those planted saplings, together with local executive authorities.
These saplings were mainly planted in city centers, along main
roads. Today, we can observe the growth of these trees,” he
noted.
Recent rainfall in Baku clear example of climate
change
Ismayilov said that the main reason for the increase in
above-normal rainfall events in our country and around the world in
recent years is climate change.
“Our daily life is already changing as much as we can feel.
Certain steps are being taken by the international community in
this regard. In 2025, Azerbaijan also adopted national
contributions and approved them by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Mainly, as preventive steps, increasing greenery is being promoted,
and issues such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as the
application of restrictions by the state, have come to the
agenda.
The Azerbaijani state has set a target of reducing emissions by
40% compared to 1990 by 2035. We are moving in this direction, we
think that when such targets are set for themselves by all states,
this will at least make those states responsible and result in some
progress. The increase in precipitation, as we have said before,
the last time it rained 5 times more than the monthly norm in 9
hours in May. Of course, in such a case, there are a number of
complications. Today, work is being done in this direction, in
general, the state program of Baku and Absheron on water management
has also been adopted. However, such events aren’t unique to
Azerbaijan. We see in Europe, where drainage systems have been in
place for years, large cities are being flooded. This is a reality,
we need to prepare adaptation plans in this direction and take
steps in this direction,” the minister explained.
Climate change not only reason for the decrease in the
Caspian Sea’s water level
Ismayilov touched upon the decrease in the water level of the
Caspian Sea and said that this is not only due to climate change,
but also other factors.
“Looking at history, we have repeatedly observed the decrease
and increase in the water level of the Caspian Sea. The position of
international experts regarding the current decrease in the Caspian
Sea is that this is not only due to climate change. The Ministry of
Ecology and Natural Resources has begun cooperation with the
Caspian littoral states on various platforms. Work is underway on
various action plans. This action plan is mainly thought out
through adaptation mechanisms. These discussions are being held
within the framework of the Tehran Convention, and bilateral
working groups have already been established. For example, I can
say that the first meeting of the bilateral working group with
Kazakhstan was held in April, and our discussions in this area have
already begun. As a result, it can be said that the steps taken to
resolve these issues should not be by any one state. Some measures
should be jointly thought out and implemented consistently by all
Caspian littoral states,” he said.
The minister noted that during recent geological surveys, new
deposits were discovered in the territories liberated from
occupation.
“Geological surveys are conducted regularly. The last geological
surveys were conducted in the liberated territories, jointly with
Azercosmos, using hyperspectral surveys. Of the discovered
deposits, I would say the Chullu deposit located in the Aghdam
region. An approximate initial assessment is that it may be
suitable for the production of 50,000-70,000 tons of copper. At the
same time, studies are also being conducted on our water resources.
A deposit was recently discovered in Shusha. Probably, work will
begin there on industrial use. We have good deposits in Minkand in
this area, they are being used. In general, the field of geology is
a very important field, and these days our geologists are working
not only on the study of natural resources, but also in landslide
zones.
As you can see, as you can see, landslides have occurred in many
areas during these rains. Preventive measures are being taken
against them. These days, the existing landslide zones in
Azerbaijan have been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. At the
same time, our geologists are already working on the layout of
those newly identified landslide areas so that these areas can also
be included in those maps. What do these maps give us? The regime
is now different in those areas, construction is prohibited,
greening measures are being implemented, preventive strengthening
work is being carried out so that there are no complications,”
Ismayilov said.
He noted that the use of mineral raw materials on a global scale
is increasing day by day. This applies to both ore deposits and
non-ore deposits.
“You know, right now the use of mineral raw materials on a
global scale is increasing day by day. This applies to both ore
deposits and non-ore deposits. We have been starting reforms in
this area for a year and a half, more than a year now. First of
all, a fight was waged against illegal subsoil users. In 2025, the
activities of 53 illegal enterprises and quarry operators were
suspended. This was not achieved by the Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources alone. A working group was created with various
agencies. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations joined
these processes, local executive authorities provided serious
support, and law enforcement agencies also participated. The
equipment of illegally operating quarries was removed from these
areas, and thus illegal exploitation of these deposits was
prevented.
At the same time, in parallel, amendments were made to the Law
on Subsoil. Transitional rules for the regulation of this area were
approved at the initiative of Mr. President. The transitional rules
include a number of issues. The main thing is that today,
exploiters with any shortcomings are given a period of one year. We
call it an amnesty period. In fact, a transitional period has been
determined, and during this transitional period, all support will
be provided to these exploiters by state bodies so that these
shortcomings are eliminated. I think that with such an approach
we’ll be able to achieve the rehabilitation of this area. At the
same time, another problem – when subsoil was used, reclamation
work was not carried out in many areas. That is, subsoil was used,
the extracted mineral raw materials were extracted, but whether it
was a river bed or other areas, restoration work, restoration of
the earth’s surface was not carried out here. There are already
instructions given at the legislative level in this regard, within
a year, when recultivation rules will be developed, I would not say
strict, but fairly limited requirements will be applied.
In fact, looking at these steps from the outside, it is possible
to assess this as an obstacle created for those exploiters, but
when we fully examine the issue, we see that in general this area
should be kept under strict control. We have primarily involved the
Ministry of Emergency Situations in this work. Every year, the
Ministry of Emergency Situations makes forecasts regarding demand.
At the same time, support is also provided by the Ministry of
Economy. The Ministry of Economy determines the volume of mineral
raw material reserves required for the creation of a certain
production for our economy. We are already thinking of organizing
the management of this area in the next stages in a volume focused
on demand and the desires of the economy – the creation of new
production.
I believe that this year will be a bit of a complicated period
for us. We will try to support entrepreneurs operating in this area
so that they can fully bring their production into line with the
requirements of the legislation, and fully restore production.
However, we will know the result at the end of a year. I would like
to inform you that in accordance with the requirements of the
transition rules, a list of operators who have been subject to
rehabilitation will be published on the website of the Ministry of
Ecology and Natural Resources in the coming days. The calculation
point will now take place. I think that not a little work has been
done in this previous period. We have prevented production that
could result in complications. We are preventing the destruction of
river beds with this. At the same time, we are also preventing the
negative impact on agrotechnical facilities in those areas. We are
in favor of regulated production, which will be organized with the
participation of all institutions, and in the future these
complications will be prevented,” the minister said.
The minister said that cartography and geodesy are very
important areas today. A year ago, we switched to the new WGS 84
system. This system has already been accepted in world practice and
will ensure that the maps compiled in our country comply with
universal requirements.
“At the same time, we are already considering the establishment
of a geoid system, a three-dimensional system in Azerbaijan for the
future. We have started work in this area. This will already create
the basis for accurate measurements. We will be able to obtain more
accurate maps in terms of scale. “At the same time, there is also a
demand today for thematic maps, the developer of which is the
institution responsible for this field, which is subordinate to the
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. It is a very interesting
and on-the-go field. It is constantly used in our daily lives,” he
said.
Ismayilov emphasized that the neutralization and utilization of
solid waste is one of the issues on the agenda today. According to
him, as the population increases, the volume of waste also
increases, and a number of activities have been carried out in this
area in Azerbaijan.
“For example, there is a sorting plant located in Balakhani. We
sort 200 thousand tons of solid household waste at that plant. At
the same time, a plant for incinerating solid household waste with
a capacity of 500,000 tons is also operating. These are great
indicators. I believe that there is a serious need for improvement
in this area as well. We have already reached a point where a
modern waste management system should be created in Azerbaijan.
Recently, by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the State Agency
for Waste Management was established under the Ministry of Ecology
and Natural Resources. We believe that we should implement new
modern challenges in this area through that agency. In connection
with the provision of waste-transporting vehicles, the Ministry of
Ecology and Natural Resources purchased special equipment in
previous years. 48 nos. of special equipment were purchased before
the CIS Games. We had problems in the regions, the provision was
implemented. In the subsequent period, we purchased another 70 nos.
of special equipment.
We have handed over this area to the organizations that carry
out management and transportation of waste in the regions.
Currently, 100 units of special equipment have already been
ordered. Procurement procedures have also been initiated in this
area. We think that this year we will be able to hand over 100
additional units of this equipment to the organizations operating
in the regions. I would say that this is a very serious volume, and
when calculated in general, many of the problems experienced in the
transportation of waste in our regions will be prevented. We think
that special containers for waste collection will be purchased this
year as well. However, our main hopes are related to the new agency
for improving this area. We will probably already start working on
certain strategies so that we can ensure the systematic development
of this area,” the minister said.
Ismayilov noted that Azerbaijan has joined more than 20
conventions in the field of environmental protection these
days.
“More than 60 bilateral agreements, memorandums, and protocols
have been signed with 37 states. This number is growing day by day.
This is an indicator of the steps taken to ensure the participation
of the Azerbaijani government at the international level. Today,
Azerbaijan is considered one of the leading countries in the field
of environmental protection. We are already hearing this on foreign
television, and this is very pleasing for us. The COP29 event was
held in Azerbaijan at a high level. Currently, the COP31 event will
be held in Türkiye, preparations for it are underway. I am sure
that Azerbaijan will be one of the most active and proactive
countries at this event,” he added.
Ismayilov said that the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources’ digital ecology electronic regulation was approved in
early 2025, and many of its modules are already operational.
According to him, this will cover both the field of eco-monitoring
and the implementation of a cadastre of greenery.
“At the same time, hydrometeorological stations are already
being replaced with automatic stations. 73 percent of automatic
stations have already been installed. We think that by 2030, we
will switch to fully automatic stations, replacing all stations.
Situation centers are being installed in the areas. A situation
center has been installed in the hydrometeorological service. We
talked about the control of mineral raw materials resources. This
year, we are thinking of creating a situation center in that area
as well, and implementing control by electronic means. In the field
of biodiversity, electronic tickets are already being applied at
the entrances to national parks. We have started and are thinking
of covering all our national parks by the end of the year and
implementing only electronic tickets. In the forest development
service, we have already started organizing digital control this
year. We think that we should also digitalize firewood procurement
in the next stages so that we can achieve transparency and openness
for the public there as well. In general, the Ministry of Ecology
and Natural Resources acts from the position of objective, digital
control. We think that this objective digitalization will improve
management. If we can build on it, we can achieve higher
achievements. Ultimately, implementing each of these through the
Digital Ecological Information System will give us both uniformity
and, at the same time, create the basis for more flexible and
operational management,” he said.
Environmental protection stands duty of every
citizen
The minister noted that the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources is engaged in environmental protection, but no
institution in the world can ensure this 100%. Therefore, public
participation must be ensured.
“Just as environmental protection is the duty of our ministry,
every citizen also has this duty. What is the issue? What will we
leave for future generations? I think this is the duty of every
citizen,” he emphasized.
Ismayilov said that May 23 is a professional holiday for
employees working in the system of the Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources. The ministry was established in 2001, and this
year marks 25 years of its activity.
“I think that our population also appreciates the work done by
our ministry over the past period, and I’m sure that we will be
able to successfully continue this work in the future,” he
concluded.
