Baku Declaration Adopted at the Transhumance Expert Conference
This Declaration is an outcome of the expert conference “Transhumance Landscapes of Global Importance” held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 23-24 June 2025, within the framework of the ICOMOS World Heritage Transhumance Initiative. The conference was kindly hosted by the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The event brought together specialists from leading international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ICOMOS, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Experts from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mongolia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Türkiye, France, Montenegro, Kenya, Ghana, Benin, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Georgia took part, alongside scientists from research institutes and universities, as well as local experts.
The conference focused on landscapes shaped by pastoralist transhumance and sought to examine such cultural landscapes across different regions of the world, and the urgent need for their identification, safeguarding and sustainable development amid the challenges posed by climate change and socio-economic transformation.
Delegates also discussed the potential these pastoralist transhumance landscapes might have for inclusion on the World Heritage List, noting the example of the Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route, Azerbaijan, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.