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Good practice Imported

Hirkan National Park — Protected-Area Expansion & UNESCO World Heritage Forest Protection (Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan · Lankaran · See the Azerbaijan profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 58% 40/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Azerbaijan tripled Hirkan National Park's protected relict Caspian Hyrcanian forest from 29,760 ha (2004) to over 55,000 ha (2022–23), confirmed Caucasian leopard presence by camera trap, and won a 2023 UNESCO World Heritage listing.

29,760 ha → 55,000+ ha
Protected area (2004-2023)
150 of 435 recorded
Endemic tree/shrub species

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan / Caucasus Nature Fund
Period
2004–2023
Keywords
biodiversity conservation, protected areas, forestry, ecotourism

Context

Hirkan National Park in Azerbaijan's Talysh region protects one of the world's oldest relict forest ecosystems, part of the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests. Established in 2004 at 29,760 ha, it was enlarged by presidential decree to 40,358 ha in 2008 and again in 2022-23 to over 55,000 ha.

Activities

The park, 99% forested and home to 150 endemic tree and shrub species, is protected through ranger patrols and drone surveillance against illegal incursions; camera-trap monitoring has tracked Caucasian (Persian) leopard presence, and conservation work has been co-financed by the Caucasus Nature Fund, GEF, UNDP, WWF and Germany's KfW.

Results

The protected area nearly doubled from 29,760 ha (2004) to over 55,000 ha (2022-23). Camera traps confirmed Caucasian leopard presence in both 2007 and 2019, and in 2023 Hirkan was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the transnational 'Hirkan forests' nomination.

Conclusions

No forest-carbon-stock, watershed or fire-management figures were located, so this evidence submission is limited to the biodiversity and governance dimensions that are independently documented.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources rangers, Caucasus Nature Fund conservation staff

Conditions for success

  • Multi-decade presidential decree expansions
  • Co-financing from multiple international conservation funders (GEF, UNDP, WWF, KfW)
  • Camera-trap/drone monitoring infrastructure

Common failure modes

  • No carbon, watershed or fire data published, limiting evaluation to biodiversity/governance dimensions

Commonly funded by

LIFE Programme National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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