(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Ayya Lmahamad
Forests cover one-third of the planet's land surface. Scientists
consider forests one of the most important ecosystems on the
planet. It is trees that make the Earth habitable.
Forest watersheds contain up to 70 percent of the freshwater
supply and at the same time, forests are home to 75 percent of
terrestrial animal and bird species.
Forests and trees give people clean air. It is not a coincidence
that they are called the“lungs of the planet”. At the same time,
they protect the Earth from global warming.
Forests, which are located on the territory of nearly any state,
are almost always complicated complex ecosystems, and it is
impossible not to assess the importance of these systems in terms
of their impact on the surrounding space, its restoration, and
preservation.
Forests in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has become popular all over the world for its
captivating beauty, abundant natural resources, and diverse flora
and fauna.
Forests occupy 11.8 percent of the entire territory of
Azerbaijan and are unevenly distributed. Nearly 85 percent of the
forests are in mountainous areas and only 15 percent are in the
lowlands. The total forest fund of the country is 1.2m
hectares.
Process of forests restoration
Each resident of Azerbaijan accounts for 0.2 hectares of green
space. To note, this figure is 0.48 hectares for other
countries.
The country's Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry has set a
goal of achieving world standards for the area of forest per
capita. In this regard, during the current year, the ministry
intends to reforest an area of 1,050 hectares.
In Azerbaijan, during reforestation, attention is paid to
mixed-type forest plantations. Terraced planting is also carried
out to maximize water retention in the soil.
Moreover, tree planting actions are taking place on a regular
basis in different parts of the country.
The forests in Azerbaijan are managed on the basis of the Forest
Code and the law“On Environmental Protection”.
National forest program
Azerbaijan's Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry has prepared
a national forest program, with the technical support of the
representation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO).
The program, covering the years 2022-2030, has been already
submitted for consideration to the relevant bodies.
Liberated territories
The program also provides for large-scale reforestation in
Azerbaijan's liberated territories.
The forest belts, especially the mountain forests in the
liberated territories, have been severely damaged. Armenians
damaged Azerbaijan's nature, biodiversity, and the whole ecosystem,
deliberately setting fire to 100 hectares of land. Azerbaijan's
natural monuments destroyed by Armenia in the previously occupied
territories cannot be restored. Out of 230,000 hectares of forest
that existed in East Zangazur and Karabakh before the occupation,
54,000 hectares, that is 25 percent, had been destroyed. Mass
deforestation has led to desertification and the destruction of
forest ecosystems, flora, and fauna species. Due to the removal of
felled valuable tree species growing in these territories, the
protection of biodiversity has reached its critical limit.
The forest must be protected not only by the state but also by
every inhabitant of the Earth. People are part of nature and cannot
exist separately. Mankind is not fully aware of the seriousness of
the problem of coexistence in peace with the surrounding world.
Without making an effort, the ecological problems of forest areas
will occupy one of the main niches in the world order.
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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
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