Location Ordubad Rayon | Designated as world heritage site 16 June 2003 | |
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Area 42,797 hectares (427.97 km) Governing body Republic of Azerbaijan
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources | ||
Zangezur National Park (Azerbaijani: Zəngəzur Milli Parkı) — is a national park of Azerbaijan. It was established by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, as Ordubad National Park on an area of 12,131 hectares (121.31 km2) of Ordubad Rayon district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the June 16, 2003. On 25 November 2009 it was enlarged to 42,797 hectares (427.97 km2) and renamed to Zangezur National Park.
The Zangezur National Park is characterized by rich biological diversity. It has 58 species of animals (35 of vertebrates and 23 of insects) and 39 species of plants which are included into the Red Book of Azerbaijan. The National Park comprises such rare and endangered species as Persian leopard, the mountain sheep-moufflon, bezoar goat, white-tail sea eagle, golden eagle, and the little bustard.
According to a 2010 USAID report (which described Azerbaijan's national parks as "so-called national parks"), public access to the Ordubad National Park is all but impossible, since it requires a personal letter "obtained far in advance of projected visit, and often refused" from the Minister of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR), but this is very difficult to obtain for NGOs, international donors, or anyone outside of the government.