Azerbaijan

FLEG II held a stakeholders meeting in Ismailly on 3rd July 2015. The purpose of the meeting was to present the initial draft of the Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP) for Ismailly Forest Management Unit to the participants from the government agencies: the Forest Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ismailly Forest Protection and Restoration Enterprise; to the local communities and authorities in order to obtain their feedback through discussion and incorporate their relevant comments and suggestions into the final report.

Public engagement is vital for achieving FLEG II goals: supporting good forest governance, sustainable forest management and forest protection. The senior consultant was hired by WWF Azerbaijan to prepare SFM plan for Ismailly Forest Unit. Consultant has developed a questionnaire that covered main services of Ismailly forests area. Public opinion pall aims to get detailed information about locals’ needs and their dependency on the forest products and services.

FLEG II held a seminar with the environmental activists, students and teachers under the umbrella of Public Union IDEA. The meeting, which took place in the IDEA Resource Center in the Academy of Public Administration, was second in a series of meetings titled "The successful way" by IDEA.

The FLEG ll (ENPI East) Program plans to carry out a one-week summer camp for the most distinguished activists of the young foresters' movement as in Azerbaijan as well as in six participating countries. The conduction of the summer camp is a part of the regional working plan of the Program and is foreseen to be held in Gakh district of Azerbaijan.

The impacts of climate change on Azerbaijan’s forests and forest communities could be severe, and the country has much to do to prepare for it, according to a new study released this spring by the Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Program (FLEG II). While the results might seem daunting, just having them in hand puts Azerbaijan ahead of many other countries in efforts to combat climate change and prepare its forests and communities to adapt to its impacts.

FLEG II concluded that these ancient regions with rich cultural and natural heritage have a huge potential for the development of sustainable recreation and tourism. In both districts FLEG II Program consultants on sustainable recreation research, Zitta Hasanova and Liya Bayramova met with the state forestry enterprises, local businesses and talked to the local communities.

Growing demand in mid-level professionals in the Azerbaijani forest sector requires intensified efforts to improve forest education in the country. FLEG II facilitated discussions on the possibility of launching new forest-related study programs and increasing school-based young foresters regionally.

Forest-based recreation activities are rapidly increasing in Azerbaijan. However, visiting the forest is not always safe and fun. Sometimes, people face unexpected emergencies, which they are unable to handle. Visitors do not always know basic safety rules and can cause an irreparable damage to the sensitive forest eco-system. The Forest Safety Manual addresses these problems.

The FLEG II exhibition stand featured the development of the young foresters movement; climate change adaptation and mitigation; Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity scoping study (TEEB).

Meeting of National Program’s Advisory Committee (NPAC) took place in the premises of the EU Delegation in Baku, Azerbaijan. Members and invited guests, including representatives of Implementing Organizations, discussed the progress of Program’s implementation, challenges and ways to improve the ongoing stance.