On November 21, Academician Irada Huseynova, General Director of IMBB participated in panel discussions on "Protection of leopards in changing climate conditions" within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), jointly organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, IDEA (International Dialogue for the Environmental Action) Public Union and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Leyla Aliyeva, vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union, spoke at the opening of the event and said that the observation of climate changes and negative trends in the global ecological system endangers the population of many animals, including Caucasian leopards. She noted that temperature rise and other numerous natural cataclysms make it difficult for leopards to survive in nature. The participants of the project were informed in detail about the numerous activities carried out by IDEA, including the contribution of the project "Restoration of the population of leopards in Azerbaijan" implemented in the framework of cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and WWF to increase the number of leopards in our country. Leyla Aliyeva pointed out that the Caucasus Biodiversity Summit held in 2014 ensured increased attention to the issues of ecological balance and animal protection in the South Caucasus region, and thanks to the steps taken, 23 leopards were found in the territory of Azerbaijan over the past years. Leyla Aliyeva called for further strengthening of global efforts to ensure effective protection of leopards.
Ajay Barai, regional director of WWF for Europe and North Africa, Elshad Asgarov, director of the organization's Azerbaijan office, Aurel Heidelberg, director of WWF's German office, Rashad Allahverdiyev, deputy head of Service of Protection of Biodiversity of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources,Tatjana Rosen, an expert on felines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Jernej Stritih, a representative of the "Ecocorridors Fund for the Caucasus" organization, spoke at the event.