Göygöl National Park ( az, Göygöl Milli Parkı) — is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. It was established in an area in

Goygol Rayon Goygol District ( az, Göygöl rayonu) is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Ganja-Dashkasan Economic Region. The district borders the district ...

administrative district on April 1, 2008 on the basis of the former "Goy Gol State Reserve" that was established in 1925 and which it superseded, on a surface area of . It was enlarged from of the former state reserve to its current surface area as a national park. The national park includes one of the most beautiful and cleanest lakes in Azerbaijan,

Lake Göygöl A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. The reserve is intended to protect the natural

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

of the

subalpine zone Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s of the northern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus. During the Soviet era, it had been deprived of its reserve status, but was restored later.Ministry of Ecology: Goy Gol State Reserve
/ref>

Flora and fauna

Flora

The area of Göygöl is almost entirely covered by forests and has a rich flora with over 420 plant species, including 20 which are endemic to the area. The major types of trees are chestnut-leaved oak (''

Quercus castaneifolia ''Quercus castaneifolia'', the chestnut-leaved oak, is a species of oak in the turkey oak section Quercus sect. Cerris, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is native to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains of Iran, and resembles the closely related Que ...

''), Caucasian oak (''

Quercus macranthera ''Quercus macranthera'', commonly called the Caucasian oak, or the Persian oak, is a species of deciduous tree native to Western Asia (northern Iran, Turkey; and in the Caucasus in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) that is occasionally grown as a ...

''), Caucasian ash (''

Fraxinus angustifolia ''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and E ...

'' subsp. ''oxycarpa''), European ash ('' Fraxinus excelsior''), European hornbeam (''

Carpinus betulus ''Carpinus betulus'', the European or common hornbeam, is a species of tree in the birch family Betulaceae, native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. It requires a warm climate for good growth, ...

''), Oriental hornbeam (''

Carpinus orientalis ''Carpinus orientalis'', known as the Oriental hornbeam, is a hornbeam native to Hungary, the Balkans, Italy, Crimea, Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus. and occurs usually on hot dry sites at lower altitudes in comparison to the ''Carpinus betulus' ...

''), Oriental beech (''

Fagus orientalis ''Fagus orientalis'', commonly known as the Oriental beech, is a deciduous tree in the beech family Fagaceae. It is native to Eurasia, in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Description ''Fagus orientalis'' is a large tree, capable of reaching he ...

''), velvet maple (''

Acer velutinum ''Acer velutinum'' is a species of tree in the Sapindaceae family. It is referred to by the common names velvet maple or Persian maple, and is native to Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia and northern Iran. It grows in the moist Caspian Hyrca ...

''), Cappadocian maple ('' Acer cappadocicum''), Caucasian lime tree (''

Tilia dasystyla ''Tilia dasystyla'' is a deciduous lime tree species. It contains the following subspecies: *''T. dasystyla'' subsp. ''caucasica'' (V.Engl.) Pigott ( syn. ''T. begoniifolia'', ''T. caucasica'', ''T. platyphyllos'' subsp. ''caucasica'', ''T. rub ...

'' subsp. ''caucasica''), etc. Shrub species occurring in the area include the medlar ('' Crataegus azarolus'' subsp. ''pontica''), European barberry ('' Berberis vulgaris''), European cornel (''

Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description It ...

''), European spindle ('' Euonymus europaeus''), blackberry ('' Rubus fruticosus''), etc.

Fauna

There are several endemic subspecies of birds, of which the bearded vulture ('' Gypaetus barbatus''),

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

(''

Neophron percnopterus The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

''), Eurasian eagle-owl (''

Bubo bubo The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and female ...

''), black woodpecker ('' Dryocopus martius''), golden oriole (''

Oriolus oriolus The Eurasian golden oriole (''Oriolus oriolus'') also called the common golden oriole, is the only member of the Old World oriole family of passerine birds breeding in Northern Hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and ...

''), mistle thrush (''

Turdus viscivorus The mistle thrush (''Turdus viscivorus'') is a bird common to much of Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa. It is a year-round resident in a large part of its range, but northern and eastern populations migrate south for the winter, often i ...

''), stock dove (''

Columba oenas The stock dove (''Columba oenas'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It is widely distributed in the western Palearctic. Taxonomy The stock dove was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Li ...

''), Eurasian woodcock (''

Scolopax rusticola The Eurasian woodcock (''Scolopax rusticola'') is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes ...

''), woodlark (''

Lullula arborea The woodlark or wood lark (''Lullula arborea'') is the only extant species in the lark genus ''Lullula''. It is found across most of Europe, the Middle East, western Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident (non- migratory) ...

''), mute swan (''

Cygnus olor The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

''), common quail ('' Coturnix coturnix''), Caspian titmouse ('' Poecile hyrcanus'') subspecies of the

titmouse ''Baeolophus'' is a genus of birds in the family Paridae. Its members are commonly known as titmice. All the species are native to North America. In the past, most authorities retained ''Baeolophus'' as a subgenus within the genus ''Parus'', bu ...

; the Caucasus pheasant ('' Phasianus colchicus colchicus'') subspecies of the

common pheasant The common pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus'') is a bird in the pheasant family (biology), family (Phasianidae). The genus name comes from Latin ''phasianus'', "pheasant". The species name ''colchicus'' is Latin for "of Colchis" (modern day Geor ...

are common. The Caspian tiger (''

Panthera tigris virgata The Caspian tiger was a ''Panthera tigris tigris'' population native to eastern Turkey, northern Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus around the Caspian Sea, Central Asia to northern Afghanistan, and the Xinjiang region in western China. Until the Midd ...

'') once roamed these mountains, but is now extinct. Other large mammals here are the lynx (''

Lynx lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...

''), brown bear ('' Ursus arctos''), wild boar (''

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

''), wolf ('' Canis lupus''), golden jackal (''

Canis aureus The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy y ...

''), jungle cat (''

Felis chaus The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral a ...

''), red fox ('' Vulpes vulpes''), roe deer (''

Capreolus capreolus The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

''), badger (''

Meles meles The European badger (''Meles meles''), also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the Family (biology), family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range ...

''), etc. The Persian leopard ('' Panthera pardus saxicolor'') subspecies of the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

, lives in the southern regions in Azerbaijan, primarily in the Talysh Mountains, Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhichevan. Despite occasional sightings, it was not clear whether leopards had been extinct in Azerbaijan by the late 1990s until a species was caught on camera in March, 2007 in the

Hirkan National Park Hirkan National Park ( az, Hirkan Milli Parkı) — is a National Parks of Azerbaijan, national park of Azerbaijan. It was established in an area in Lankaran Rayon and Astara Rayon administrative districts on February 9, 2004 on the basis of the ...

. However it is still not clear if leopards live in the Göygöl National Park.

Filmography

A documentary film titled “Göygöl Milli Parkı” (Goygol National Park) was shot in 2015. The film was presented in the

Nizami Cinema Center The Nizami Cinema Center is a multiscreen cinema in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was built in 1940 and re-opened in 2011. History and performance Built in 1940, this is one of the oldest cinemas of the country. The cinema center was named after the poet ...

in Baku. Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva participated at the presentation of the film.

References

External links