Leyla Aliyeva attends panel discussion on "Protection of Leopards in Changing Climate Conditions" held within COP29

A panel discussion on the topic "Protection of Leopards in Changing Climate Conditions" has been organized collectively by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the International Dialogue for Environmental Protection (IDEA) Public Union, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Azernews reports.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder, and head of IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva spoke at the opening of the event, stating that the observation of climate change and negative trends in the global ecological system pose a threat to the populations of many species, including the Caucasian leopard. She noted that rising temperatures and numerous natural disasters make it difficult for leopards to survive in nature.

Detailed information was provided to the project participants about the various activities carried out by IDEA, including the "Restoration of the Leopard Population in Azerbaijan" project implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has contributed to increasing the number of leopards in the country.

Leyla Aliyeva stressed that the Caucasus Biodiversity Summit, held in 2014, raised awareness of ecological balance and conservation of species in the South Caucasus region. The founder and head of IDEA pointed out that due to the steps taken, 23 leopard individuals have been spotted in Azerbaijan over recent years.

At the end of her speech, Leyla Aliyeva called for further strengthening of global efforts to ensure the effective protection of leopards.

Following her, Ajay Barai, Regional Director for Europe and North Africa at WWF, Elshad Asgarov, Director of WWF's Azerbaijan office, Aurel Heidelberg, Director of WWF's Germany office, Rashad Allahverdiyev, Deputy Head of the Biodiversity Conservation Service of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Tatjana Rosen, expert on carnivores at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Jernej Stritih, representative of the Eco-Corridors Fund for the Caucasus, also spoke at the event.