The National Strategy and Action Plan on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The National Strategy and Action Plan on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is a national strategy with a sectoral approach. The National Strategy aims at eradicating poverty, ensuring regulation of environmental balance, achieving sustainable development and securing access of future generations to genetic resources through conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
The Strategy envisions implementation of efficient measures aiming to ensure conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Protection status of plant and animal species will be defined in accordance with international standards and sustainable ex-situ conservation of rare and threatened plant and animal species will be ensured. Assessment of ecosystems with rich biodiversity will be conducted for their conservation and identification. An Action Plan will be developed and implemented, regarding protection of rare and endangered plant and animal species, conservation of migratory birds, protection of the biodiversity of lakes around large settlements, factors that have impact on sustainable development of biodiversity of soils. Protected area network will be expanded by creating new protected areas and coastal protection zones, developing state cadastre of the protected areas and by identifying priorities of ecosystems not included in the existing system of protected areas. In order to reduce anthropogenic impact on biodiversity from the populations and farms operating on the protected areas, proposals ensuring biodiversity protection and sustainable development will be implemented. Proposals on certifying products as “ecologically clean” or “ecologically safe” will be developed, in order to mitigate impact of agriculture and other sectors on environment. The role of local communities will be strengthened in forest management to ensure sustainable use of forest resources. Pilot projects will be implemented on rehabilitation of degraded soils intensively used in areas with irrigated agriculture, such as Mil-Garabagh, Shirvan, Mugan-Salyan and Araz river-side plains in Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.
Local plant varieties and animal breeds will be reproduced on private farms. Genetic resources will be conserved by establishing gene banks of rare and threatened plant and animal species. Researches in the field of biodiversity conservation will be undertaken. In order to conserve shared biological sources, cooperation with bordering countries will be improved and information and experience will be exchanged and cooperation between organizations dealing with biodiversity conservation will be developed. Regional resource centers will be created to increase biodiversity awareness among the population and in addition to this, biodiversity education and dissemination of information on biodiversity and its conservation will be improved.
The biodiversity-related laws will be brought up to-date in conformity with international standards. Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice and State Land and Mapping Committee are responsible authorities for the implementation of this National Strategy and Action Plan.