Azerbaijan has many treasures. Relict and threatened trees are one of them.
Leading researchers: Sébastien Bétrisey
Collaboration between Fribourg and Baku
Relict trees, ancient and mysterious, are particularly emblematic of the natural heritage of the country. Besides their ecological functions, many relict trees hold important socio-economic uses and cultural significance. There is an enormous potential to explore and highlight this unique heritage both on a local and international scale. These majestic trees are to be found in the Hyrcanian Forest in the south of Azerbaijan in the Talysh Mountains as well as in the Great Caucasus. Their decorative leaves, large crowns and strong trunks have attracted the attention of naturalists, botanists and gardeners from around the world for centuries. Paradoxically, however, many aspects of their distribution patterns and ecology are still not well understood. Since 2010, the Botanic Garden of the University of Fribourg (BGF), the Natural History Museum of Fribourg (NHMF) and the Institute of Botany of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) exchange researchers and students and conduct joint scientific and public awareness activities.
Encounters with an ancient natural heritage
The exhibition on relict trees of the Hyrcanian Forest in the Talysh Mountains of Azerbaijan opened on 2 May 2014 at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, in Baku. This international exhibition project is a collaboration between the Botanic Garden of the University of Fribourg, the Natural History Museum of Fribourg (NHMF), Switzerland, the Institute of Botany of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), United Kingdom, and Design NG Tornay Graphic and Communication, Fribourg, Switzerland. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the conservation needs of the spectacular relict flora found in the Hyrcanian region of the Talysh Mountains in southern Azerbaijan. By way of 12 panels and multi-media technology, the exhibition introduces various relict tree species found in the natural forests of Azerbaijan. On permanent display, the exhibition at the Institute of Botany of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (www.botany.az) can be visited free of charge: Badamdar Highway 40, AZ1073, Baku, Azerbaijan, Tel: (+994) 12 502 43 94.
