AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST IN THREE HOSPITABLE COUNTRIES AGRICULTURE AND BREEDING HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED SINCE THE NEOLITHIC COPING WITH THE RHYTHMS OF THE SEASON A TREASURY OF GENETIC RESOURCES IS MAINTAINED IN GARDENS TO MAKE BREAD, CHEESE AND WINE PASTORALISTS AND FARMERS MANAGE THE LANDSCAPES RURAL PEOPLE KNOW AND USE WILD PLANTS AND ANIMALS COMBINING BIODIVERSITY, HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS AND SMALLHOLDERS’ DEDICATION: A PATHWAY INTO THE FUTURE 1²ñ¨»ÉùÇ ¨ ²ñ¨ÙáõïùÇ ù³éáõÕÇÝ»ñáõÙ 36rqin v6 q6rbin yolayrcnda CHAPTER 1 AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 1 INTRODUCTION 1 WHEN LOOKING AT A MAP OF EURASIA, IT IS QUITE EASY TO IDENTIFY THE CAUCASUS REGION: IT IS THE LARGE CORRIDOR THAT LIES BETWEEN THE BLACK AND THE CASPIAN SEAS – A SORT OF GEOGRAPHIC HINGE THAT CONNECTS ASIA IN THE EAST TO EUROPE IN THE WEST. THE CAUCASUS IS ALSO LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN TEMPERATE AND SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE ZONES, WHICH CREATES FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS FOR THE GENETIC EVOLUTION OF A WIDE RANGE OF FLORA AND FAUNA. his unique situation has made it possible for the The region is also situated along the main routes that have Caucasus to be a bridge between eastern and been used for thousands of years to connect the East to the western flora, a centre of genetic differentiation West and Asia to Europe, and this is reflected in the different that has created new endemic varieties and, at the same time, a populations, languages, cultures and religions that characterize door that has diffused the precious genetic material from east to it. Nevertheless, this rich biodiversity is now at risk because of west and from north to south and vice versa. This explains why, overexploitation of natural resources, mass production of just a in some areas of the Caucasus, species of European or Asian few species and varieties, and the effects of climate change. origin grow next to endemic species, adapted to continental, Mediterranean and subtropical climates. The result is that a region which once provided world agriculture with several major crops is currently experiencing a food deficit. In the lowlands along the Caspian seashores, characterized by It is important to spread awareness of the value of the rich significant pedoclimatic variability, non-endemic species such heritage of genetic resources in the Southern Caucasus and as tobacco, potatoes, tea, maize, cotton and citrus fruits are sustain policies for its correct maintenance, both at the local perfectly adapted and thrive together with species that have and international level. long been cultivated such as wheat, figs, almonds, pistachios, olives and pomegranates. The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers. Names in the maps are mainly those of places mentioned in the book. 2 GARDENS OF BIODIVERSITY N O R T N H E R N C A U C A Black Sea S Caspian Sea U S O U S T H E R N C A U C A S 40° N U S 0 25 50 100 200 Kilometres 40° Longitude east of Greenwich 45° 50° The Southern Caucasus is the region of interest discussed in this book. It is a large corridor that lies between the Black and the Caspian Seas – a sort of geographic hinge that connects Asia in the east to Europe in the west. It is dominated by the great mountain ranges that give their name to the region and divide it into the Northern and Southern Caucasus TERRITORY The Caucasus is dominated by the great mountain ranges that EUROPE ASIA give their name to the region. Its morphology and climate are extremely diverse. Within a few hundred kilometres, altitudes vary from zero to over 5 000 m and down again to the –30 m of Atlantic Ocean the depression along the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The result of these dramatic changes is that the climate varies from continental in the north, to alpine in the inner mountainous AFRICA areas, to subtropical in the west and to dry steppe in the southeast. In a fairly limited area, most of the world’s major ecoregions can be found. Rainfall ranges from as little as 200 mm per year in the eastern lowlands to more than 2 500 mm Indian Ocean per year on the Black Sea shore. CHAPTER 1 AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 3 The Greater Caucasus range seen from the neighbourhood of Kish, Azerbaijan. The territory of the Southern Caucasus is highly differentiated, with altitudes ranging from over 5 000 m down to –30 m. >>Right: the multiple colours of the eroded shale formations of the “Candy Cane” mountains, Xizi region, Azerbaijan The Caucasus region comprises the following: approximately 39° latitude north. It is more than 4 000 m the plains and hills along the northern slopes of the Greater high (the highest peak is Mount Aragats, in Armenia, Caucasus range; at 4 095 m); the Greater Caucasus range, which is more than 1 000 km the hills, plains and lowlands along the shores of the long, and lies between the eastern shores of the Black Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan; Sea at about 44° latitude north and the western shores the highlands of the Armenian plateau, located between of the Caspian Sea at about 41° latitude north. It is more the southwestern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus range and than 5 000 m high (the highest peak is Mount Elbrus, in the River Araz. the Russian Federation, at 5 642 m; Mount Shkhara, in Georgia, is 5 201 m high); The territory to the north of the Greater Caucasus range (the the plains and hills along the eastern shores of the Black “Northern Caucasus”) belongs to the Russian Federation and, Sea in Georgia; more precisely, to the regions of Krasnodar and Stavropol, and the Lesser Caucasus range, which is approximately 500 km to the autonomous republics of Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, long, and lies between the eastern shores of the Black Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya Sea at about 42° latitude north and the River Araz at and Dagestan. 4 GARDENS OF BIODIVERSITY MAP OF SOILS 10 0 25 50 100 200 1 Kilometres The rest of the Caucasus region (the “Southern Caucasus”) is N 9 the focus of this book and belongs to Armenia, Azerbaijan and 6 9 Caspian Sea Georgia; at the southern borders of the Caucasus are Turkey to 11 Black Sea 8 the west and the Islamic Republic of Iran to the east. 4 5 5 2 2 7 3 9 SURFACE AREA AND INHABITANTS OF THE CAUCASUS REGION Surface (km2) Inhabitants Density 3 (inhabitants/km2) 1 Caucasus region 440 400 30 756 000 70 Northern Caucasus 254 300 14 506 000 57 (Russian Federation) 1 Acrisols 4 Cambisols 7 Gleysols 10 Luvisols Southern Caucasus 186 100 16 250 000 87 2 Anthrosols 5 Chernozems 8 Kastanozems 11 Nitosols (Armenia, Azerbaijan Calcisols Fluvisols Leptosols and Georgia) 3 6 9 Source: State Statistical Services of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (2009), and of the Russian Federation (2004) Adapted from Harmonized World Soil Database and derived SRTM DEM (FAO/ CAS / IIASA / ISRIC / JRC) CHAPTER 1 AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 5 Lake Sevan, in Armenia, is the largest lake in the Southern Caucasus. Below: the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers in Georgia >>Right: the River Mtkvari then flows into Azerbaijan, where it is called Kür 6 GARDENS OF BIODIVERSITY The main rivers in the Southern Caucasus are the following: River Kür (Mtkvari): 1 364 km long. It springs on the Turkish side of the Armenian plateau near Kars and flows through Georgia and Azerbaijan into the Caspian Sea at Neftçala; River Araz: 1 072 km long. It springs near Erzurum (Turkey) and flows along the border between Turkey and Armenia; Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) and the Islamic Republic of Iran; Armenia and Iran; Azerbaijan and Iran; and finally flows into the River Kura at Sabirabad in Azerbaijan; River Rioni: 327 km long. It springs in the Racha region in Georgia and flows into the Black Sea near Poti. The main lake in the Southern Caucasus is Lake Sevan, in Armenia, with 1 250 km2 surface area, located at an altitude of about 1 900 m above sea level. It receives water from several rivers flowing from the Lesser Caucasus range; its main emissary is the River Hrazdan that flows through Yerevan and into the River Araz. The second largest water basin is the artificial lake formed by a dam built in the 1950s on the River Kür in Azerbaijan near Mingacevir. It has a surface area of 605 km2. A great number of small lakes dot the region, mainly in Azerbaijan. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth, by both area and volume, with a surface area of 371 000 km2 and a volume of 78 200 km3. It is a landlocked endorheic body of water and lies between Asia and Europe. It has a maximum depth of about 1 025 m and is called a sea because when the Romans discovered it they tasted the water and found it to be salty. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2 percent, about a third of the salinity of seawater. CHAPTER 1 AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 7 8 GARDENS OF BIODIVERSITY Within a few hundred kilometres, many different climatic patterns can be found, contributing to the rich biodiversity of the territory CLIMATE The Caucasus region lies in the middle of the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, but the Greater Caucasus range acts as an important climate separator, since it prevents the movement of cold air masses from north to south and conversely that of warm air masses from south to north.