Rahim Ibrahimov presented Azerbaijan's draft Country Working Plan (CWP) for the ENP East Countries/FLEG II Program. The CWP focuses on continuing efforts from FLEG I, ensuring consistency with national principles and the St. Petersburg Declaration. It includes priorities like combating illegal logging and grazing, restoring forests, increasing public involvement, and improving legislation and enforcement. The CWP consists of 5 units covering sustainable forest management, improving governance, sustainable pasture management, guaranteeing community access, and raising public awareness.

1. Azerbaijan
Presentation for the Steering Committee meeting of the ENP East
Countries/FLEG II Program
Minsk, Republic of Belarus.
October 1-2 2013.
Rahim Ibrahimov
FLEG Program’s Focal Point
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan,
Forest Development Department

2. Development of the Country Working Plan
(CWP)
Main features of the draft CWP:
• Continuity
• Consistency in implementation
• Basing on main national principles
and principles of Sankt Petersburg
declaration

3. Continuity in development:
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Development of list of priorities considering experience and
recommendations from FLEG 1.
Consultations with the stakeholders and development of
proposals for the CWP.
Conduction of a series of NPAC meetings for discussion of the
proposals.

4. •
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Preliminary determination of pilot regions, trips and meetings ith
the local self-governing authorities on the ground and local
executive authorities.
Ensuring participation of implementing organizations and of the
EU.

5. National Priorities of Forest
sector development
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Fight with the illegal logging and illegal grazing at the forest
territories;
Restoration of forest landscapes, particularly tugay forests and
forests at the arid territories;
Active involvement of the local population and youth in particular to
the process of forests’ protection;
Forest inventory;
Diversification of the energy sources aimed to decrease loads on
the forests;
Improving the legislative base and law enforcement practices;
Increasing of institutional capacities and education in the forest
sector.

6. Main National Priorities of the FLEG Program
• Development of mechanisms and measures of diversification of the
energy sources used by the local population in the regions and
application of the state-supported system on alternatives to utilization of
wood as a firewood.
• Continuation of development of modifications and amendments to the
corresponding laws and legal acts for strengthening of law enforcement in
the forest sector. Also promotion of constrictive dialog between the
government and business for the possible application of FSC certification
system.
• Technical support in application of pilot projects on establishment of
model forests as an example of sustainable and democratic management
of the forest resources.
•Development of methodology and pilot initiatives with the involvement of
the local authorities and local communities to the issues of eefective
restoration and preservation of tugay (flood-plain) forests at the arid
territories of Azerbaijan.

7. •
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Conduction of needs assessment and development of the program for
the restoration of a system of professional technical education in the
forest sector;
Continuation of working out of tools for development of the sustainable
livestock management and protection of the forests from the illegal
grazing through application of pilot initiatives and stepwise shift from
semi-nomadic to rancho based grazing.
Development of mechanisms of sustainable recreation and a concept
for the development of tourism at the territories of the State Forest Fund
Support the development of a long-term strategy and action plan for the
sustainable management of the forest sector that includes provisions for
considering economic and social interests of population, business and
state.
Development of long-term local and regional prognosis, strategies and
plans of adaption of forest sector to the climate change.

8. •
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Technical support for the evaluation the costs of services from
ecosystems and through the stimulation of inventory of resources,
evaluation of the services from ecosystems as a tool of effective
forest use for the sustainable forest management.
Regional conferences and summer camps aimed to strengthen
international cooperation of the young foresters. Technical support
in set up of school-based foresters unions and establishment of
networking and other tools for its effective promotion. Successful
implementation of this activity will be a huge support in propaganda
of the forest preservation as well as contributes to worthy
generational change in the forest sector. Necessity in continuation
of cooperation between the MENR and Ministry of Emergency
Situations on development of manuals featuring safeguard activities
in the forest.

9. Draft of CWP consists of 5 main units
• Development of effective forest management and prevention of illegal
logging. Evaluation of forest ecosystem services and utilization of best
international practices.
•Improvement of efficiency of law enforcement and governance in the
forest sector.
•. Improvement of practices of prevention of illegal pasture in the forests
through effective pasture management system and involvement of local
communities through conduction of pilot projects.
• Securing guarantees of rights for local population and small business for
legal access to forest resources through restoration and expansion of
forests on municipal and state forestlands.
• Raising of public awareness, education, communications and
distribution of information.

10. Activities
ENPI/FLEG (1st Phase)
ENP/FLEG East Countries (2nd Phase )
1.1 Conducting TEEB scoping study for the forestry sector of
Azerbaijan
.
1.1 Analysis of law enforcement problems and
management in the state forest sector, application of
indicators, conduction of consultations with the
stakeholders on a list of indicators. Discussion and
delivering of recommendations from the state forest sector
regarding the legal frameworks and practices aspects of
application of indicators.
1.2 Identification of sensitive regions with the high risk of
illegal logging. Pilot assessment and analysis of scales
and causes of development of illegal logging on the
example of the pilot region. Development and application
of various tools and remote control.
1.2 Development of the concept and proposals of the sustainable
recreational principles and development of eco tourism at the
Forest territories
1.3 Development of local and regional plans of adaption of forest
sector to the climate change at local and regional level. Support
to the local initiatives for the forest disaster management and
other potential impact of CC on forest..
3.2 Conduction of pilot initiatives and development of special
economic stimulus proposals for the local population to
create and use the high-efficient and energy-consuming
technologies and in order to diversify energy sources as
alternatives to the forest-based heating sources as well as
recommendations on creation of institutional grounds for
maintenance and technical support of these types of
alternatives. Together with the State Agency on Renewable
Energy Sources conduction of pilot projects on set up of
model alternative energy sources in the pilot regions .

11. Мероприятия
ENPI/FLEG (1st Phase)
1.3 Sociological surveys, expert interviews, data collection
and analysis of state of the law enforcement in the forest
sector focusing on issues of access to the forest resources
of the local authorities, self-governing authorities and local
communities.
1.4 Effect Analysis of cross-border smuggling of forest
resources. Development of recommendations to prevent the
smuggling of forest resources at the national and regional
levels .
2.4 Analysis of economic, and social impact of uncontrolled
illegal logging activities and practices of unsustainable
forest management by the local communities in Azerbaijan.
ENP/FLEG East Countries (2nd Phase )
4.2 Development at the community pilot sites and those
allocated by the local municipalities the test site for the
growing of planting material for effective reabilitation of tugay
forests (flood plain forests located at the arid territories) with
the closed root system with application of modern
technologies and active involvement of local population.
2.2 Support informal Regional Initiative Group (RIG)
members in Azerbaijan in promoting voluntary forest
certification (based on FSC standards). Establish
demonstration model for sustainable forest management
(SFM) practices
3.3 Conduct policy, institutional and legislative analysis of
the forestry sector of Azerbaijan and prepare
recommendations on the key principles and provisions to be
incorporated into national forest policy and legislation based
on the FSC standards; lobby for incorporation of FSC forest
management standards and a concept of forests with High
Conservation Value (HCV) in national forest policies and
legislation.
2.3 Measuring of real value of forest resources for the
development of communities. Organization of special
training/seminar for the forest sector specialists and relevant
stakeholders to study existent EU forest legislation , good
practice and execution of the EC Regulation 995/2010 .

12. Мероприятия
ENPI/FLEG (1st Phase)
3.1 Based on best international practices analysis of
existent practices and legislation and development of
recommendation s for improving of methods of preservation
of the forests in the country. Development of
recommendations on prevention of illegal grazing in the
forests as a willful violation and investigation of causes and
consequences of these violations in the regions.
3.2 Development of political scheme and proposals on
increasing o f effectiveness of pasture management and
local stock for the protection of the young forest..
4.1 Development of strategy for ensuring of rights of local
communities, local authorities and businesses for the legal
use of the forest resources. Issues of expanding of the
forests through application of economic stimulus for the
businesses and communities. Providing skills and benefits
for the restoration of exterminated forests. This component
includes assessment of legal tools for the support of this
process. Development of “Model Forests” concept.
ENP/FLEG East Countries (2nd Phase )
2.6 To strengthen the law enforcement in forest relations
development of the modifications' and amendments'
proposals to the normative legal acts and development of
drafts of the new relevant legal acts.
3.1 Support to pilot activities (scaling up of several ongoing
projects) aimed at introduction of more sustainable livestock
management (e.g. shift from semi-nomadic to rancho based
grazing), and to prevent illegal grazing at the forest
territories development and application of pilot alternative
models on sustainable stock-raising and forest protection.
4.1 Support to joint set up and to implementation of “Model
Forests” concept in the pilot regions. Conduction of the
forest rehabilitation activities aimed to expand model sites.

13. Мероприятия
ENPI/FLEG (1st Phase)
5.1 ; 5.2 Development of newsletters and FLEG website in
the national language. Development of leaflets and
publications on FLEG’s tasks. Working out of teacher
support pack for education of the local communities and
youth with the involvement of the education sector to the
process of protection and preservation of the forests at the
local level. Trainings for the local population and local selfgoverning authorities. Development of the quarterly
bulletins, Ensuring regular informational coverage of FLEG
issues in Azerbaijan.
5.4 Conduction of meetings with the stakeholders.
ENP/FLEG East Countries (2nd Phase )
5.1 Preparation of FLEG booklets, country quarterly
newsletters and other informational documents and
permanent update of the country website; development of
the special page for networking and coverage of activities of
the young foresters movement; development of forest
education publications, including tutorials, manuals and
supporting packs such as "Safe activity in the forest" and
others, support to regional initiatives, summer camps and
conferences aimed to support young foresters' movement
and ensuring international cooperation in this realm.
2.5 Support in development of tutorials and special
education programs featuring of the country’s forestry
particularities; increasing of qualifications of employees
working in the forestry sector and support in set up together
with the MENR and the Ministry of Education of system of
professional technical (vocational) education in the forest
sector.
5.2 Conduct awareness raising activities for the general
public; increase the levels of involvement of local NGOs and
communities in forestry activities

15. Thank you for your attention!
Tel.: (994-12) 510-34-19. Fax: (994-12) 510-33-31.
E-mail: Iragim_forest@mail.ru
Ibrahimovragimforest@mail.az
www. enpi-fleg.az