Azerbaijan proposes network of protected sites in Turkic world

Azerbaijani MP and UN High-Level Climate Champion for COP29 Nigar Arpadarai has proposed establishing a network of protected natural and cultural sites across the Turkic world.

Speaking at an event titled Preserving Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity in Turkic Civilisation: From Shared Traditions to Joint Action, held as part of Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026), she said joint regional initiatives, joint research programmes and projects on the ground should be developed, Caliber.Az reports from the venue.

“When we speak about the Turkic world, we speak about shared history, shared traditions and strong cultural ties that connect our people across the border, but we also share something else: a deep connection with nature,” Arpadarai noted.

She stressed that nature had traditionally been viewed by Turkic peoples as part of their heritage rather than simply a resource to be exploited. According to Arpadarai, this shared heritage provides an opportunity to deepen cooperation between Turkic states, which are linked not only by history and culture but also by geography and ecosystems.

“Our environmental challenges also require regional solutions and regional solidarity,” she stressed.

Arpadarai said the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) could play an increasingly important role in addressing these challenges. She proposed stronger cooperation in biodiversity protection, water management, land restoration and climate resilience, as well as the exchange of scientific knowledge, technologies and best practices.

She also highlighted the importance of combining cultural and environmental diplomacy, saying that cultural heritage could serve as a bridge towards stronger environmental cooperation.

“We should develop joint regional initiatives, joint research programs and joint projects on the ground. We could, for example, explore a network of protected natural and cultural sites across the Turkic world, strengthen cooperation on species and ecosystems, and promote sustainable tourism that protects rather than damages our natural and cultural heritage,” Arpadarai remarked.

She added that protecting shared heritage was a common responsibility rather than simply a matter of preserving the past.

“Our shared heritage is not only something we inherited from the past; it's a responsibility that we share all together,” she emphasised.

As an example of the link between environmental change and cultural heritage, Arpadarai pointed to the Caspian Sea, which she said had lost roughly two metres in water level over the past three decades.

She further noted that the decline had made the remains of Baku’s medieval Sabail Castle, which archaeologists have documented underwater for nearly 90 years, increasingly visible.

“As the water retreats, sites like this move quite literally from being underwater to something else entirely exposed, unprotected and vulnerable in a completely different way,” Arpadarai said.

According to her, similar challenges could affect other parts of Azerbaijan’s coastline and potentially the coasts of other Turkic states.

Arpadarai also drew attention to the impact of climate change on cultural sites, noting that environmental threats did not follow administrative boundaries.

“Climate change doesn't ask whether a heritage site belongs to Ministry of Culture or Minister of Ecology before it affects it,” she clarified, adding that a shrinking sea could threaten a submerged fortress, while changes in the water table could affect the foundations of Baku’s Icherisheher.

Arpadarai concluded by calling for further discussion and joint action among representatives of the Turkic world to preserve both cultural heritage and the environment.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov