Over 54,000 hectares of forest destroyed during Armenian occupation – deputy minister

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Rauf Hajiyev has said that over 54,000 hectares of forest areas were destroyed during the Armenian occupation.

“Azerbaijan is facing serious consequences of environmental terror committed by Armenia. More than 54,000 hectares of forest areas have been destroyed during the times of occupation. Works on reforestation and elimination of damage to the ecosystem are underway,” Hajiyev said as he addressed the “Environmental management in mine action: Mine threat and environmental impact of mine clearance" panel held on the sidelines of the 2nd International Technical Workshop on "Mine Action: Innovations and Best Practices", Report informs.

According to him, reforestation work has already been launched in mine-cleared areas in Zangilan, Jabrayil and Fuzuli districts: "Our key goal is to carry out reforestation work in larger areas. Restoration of biodiversity in Gubadli, Lachin, and other districts is a long process. Gazelles have been released into the forest to restore the destroyed ecosystem in Jabrayil district. As the mine problem is addressed, work on increasing fauna species in the relevant territories will be expanded. Studies show that there were large fires in the territories liberated from occupation, so it will take time to restore the ecosystem," the deputy minister added.