On November 21, a presentation on evaluating the carbon dynamics of Azerbaijan's Tugay forests, located in the floodplains of the Kura and Araz rivers, was held in the Green Zone of COP29.
According to Report, the event was held within the framework of the "Assessment of carbon sequestration potential of Tugay forests and restoration of forest ecosystem" project implemented by the Regional Development Public Union of Azerbaijan.
The event was attended by experts from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Institute of Botany under the Ministry of Science and Education, Baku State University, and the Aviation Academy, as well as representatives of the project partner, the Abibiman Foundation LBG NGO from Ghana.
Gulbaghda Leysanova, the project manager of the Regional Development Public Union, provided detailed information about the project's objectives and activities, emphasizing the importance of implementing projects aimed at protecting biodiversity in the country.
Vahid Farzaliyev, head of the Reforestation Department of the Forestry Development Service under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and Yusif Abiyev, deputy dean of the Faculty of Biology at Baku State University, noted the role of Tugay forests in protecting and developing biodiversity and reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
They highlighted that Tugay forests have significantly decreased, thinned, and the species composition of trees has changed considerably due to the lack of strict protection for a long time, changes in the hydrological regime of the Kura River due to climate change, and other factors.
Emphasizing the importance of restoring the forest ecosystem, assessing carbon dynamics, and using the obtained results for planning afforestation or reforestation works and other purposes, they provided information about the equipment purchased for conducting field research within the project.
Cuma Uykun, an invited expert from Türkiye and a representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provided detailed information to the participants on the topic “Methodology for calculating biomass and carbon in forests: concepts, problems, and solutions”.
Afterward, a video clip about the tree-planting campaign aimed at restoring the Tugay forest ecosystem in the Hajigabul district, Azerbaijan within the project was shown. It was reported that during the campaign, 1,800 tree seedlings belonging to the Tugay forest were planted on 1.5 hectares of land, and more than 200 endangered tree species were planted on 20 acres of land, with protection measures in place.
During the event, experts answered questions of interest to the participants.
The presented project is being implemented within the framework of the International Initiatives related to COP29 competition for NGOs, jointly organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations.