No. 39 Summer 2005 In this issue: • Special Section Conservation in the Caucasus: Spotlight on Armenia • Ten Years of “March for Parks” in Russia • A Historic Park on the Shores of the Black Sea PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN RUSSIA AND THROUGHOUT NORTHERN EURASIA Conservation in the Caucasus: Spotlight on Armenia Conservation in the Caucasus: Spotlight on Armenia By Way of an Introduction onservationists around the world Cwidely recognize the Caucasus region as one of the Earth’s most biologically diverse. Boasting high species richness and levels of endemism, among other exceptional characteristics, this mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas is globally important for biodiversity conservation. In the upcoming section of this thirty-ninth issue of Russian Conservation News, we spotlight one of the countries at the heart of this special region: Armenia. The following pages of the journal offer a rounded conservation profile of the country, including descrip- tions of its varied landscapes and rich biodiversity. Although the pres- ent Armenian state is no larger than Russia’s Lake Baikal, its landscapes are remarkably diverse, including semi-desert, juniper sparse forest, broadleaf forest, mountain steppe, and sub-alpine meadow habitats. These habitats harbor many rare species, such as the Persian leopard, which stealthily prowls Armenia’s southern regions. In this section, you will read about the research work of A view from Armenia’s highest peak, Mt. Aragats. two dedicated Armenian scientists to Photo by C. Santore. research and protect this extremely rare and elusive cat. We also offer an report on the deforestation threat, one of the country’s protected nature article on work conducted under the which emerged most noticeably after areas. Birds of Armenia Project to investi- the dissolution of the Soviet Union, gate the majestic raptors circling when acute economic and energy This reporting is part of our continu- the skies above the forests on crises plagued the newly independent ing commitment to cover conserva- Armenia’s highest peak, Mt. Aragats. Republic of Armenia. tion-related issues in the Caucasus region. It was made possible by the The upcoming pages also present In our coverage of Armenia, we will Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. some of the pressing conservation also share with you a number of heart- For more information about this fund- challenges facing the country. You will ening conservation success stories, ing partnership between Conservation read about Armenia’s beloved and such as the reforestation and poverty International (CI), the Global beleaguered Lake Sevan, and the long- reduction work of the Armenia Tree Environment Facility (GEF), the lasting mark that unsustainable nature Project and a victorious campaign by Government of Japan, the MacArthur use policies during the Soviet era have Armenian and international activists Foundation, and the World Bank, left on this vast alpine lake. We also to reroute a highway planned to cross please see: http://www.cepf.net. Summer 2005, No. 39 19 Conservation in the Caucasus: Spotlight on Armenia Landscapes and Biodiversity in Armenia: An Overview By Gohar Oganezova rmenia is an ancient land, and The country harbors a sur- A although its name appeared on prising wealth of flora and maps belonging to the Egyptian fauna. In Armenia, 5,455 pharaohs, many people in the modern plant species1 are regis- world are unfamiliar with the nation’s tered, of which 3,015 whereabouts. Armenia’s territory has species are flowering decreased significantly since antiquity plants. Diverse vegetation and now just ten percent of its historic communities are also char- lands fall within the borders of the acteristic for the republic. contemporary Republic of Armenia. Steppe, meadow, mountain Situated on approximately 30,000 forests, different types of square kilometers in the southwestern open woodlands, alpine Transcaucasus region, Armenia is a and sub-alpine communi- small spot on the globe, but one well ties, swamps, semi-deserts, worth knowing. and islands of desert are among the many commu- Armenia is not only the smallest of the nities that comprise three republics in the southern Armenia’s surprising mosa- Map by M. Dubinin. Caucasus region (the others being ic of vegetation cover. Georgia and Azerbaijan), but it is also Arailer, in the central part of the coun- the most mountainous. It occupies the This diversity can be attributed to the try, are almost completely devoid of northern part of the Armenian Plateau country’s complex mountain relief. springs and receive very little precipi- and is located almost entirely at eleva- Armenia’s mountains have varied ori- tation. tions of at least 500 meters above sea gins. Some appeared as a result of tec- level. The highest point in the republic tonic shifts and others from the activi- It is also here in Armenia that two dif- is Mt. Aragats (4,095 meters above sea ty of numerous volcanoes. The coun- ferent floristic complexes meet: the level). The region’s largest alpine lake, try’s mountain chains run north-south moisture-loving Caucasian mesophytic Lake Sevan, is located in Armenia. Also and east-west and differ from one floristic complex and the Armenian- found here are the sources of numer- another in their moisture regimes. Iranian floristic complex, which is ous rivers in the Kura-Araks watershed, Some, such as the Murguz Chain in adapted to arid climates. The country which encompasses 200,000 square northeastern Armenia, have abundant is also regarded as one of the world’s kilometers in Armenia, Azerbaijan, springs and streams and receive much ancient cradles of agrobiodiversity. Georgia, and parts of Turkey and Iran. precipitation. Others, such as Mt. Numerous local, and for that reason The Ararat Valley at dusk. Mt. Ararat is a 5,165-meter-tall snow-capped dormant volcanic cone located in northeastern Turkey. The peak, which was part of Armenian territory until 1915 when it fell to the Turks, remains a national symbol of Armenia. Photo by K. Avanyan. 20 Russian Conservation News Conservation in the Caucasus: Spotlight on Armenia especially precious, types of apricots, peaches, apples, pears, walnuts, grains, and other cultivated plants are con- centrated here. Diverse populations of these crop plants’ wild relatives are also encountered here and they com- prise an important part of the repub- lic’s ecosystems. Armenia’s mountainous terrain and its various vegetation communities create habitat for a diverse group of animal species. Birds occupy a special place among local fauna and avifauna here is extremely rich. Located along the global flyway, Armenia is an intersec- tion, where Asian and European bird species approach and co-exist with one another. In total, 349 bird species Lake Sevan. Photo by G. Oganezova. are registered in the republic. The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) the Red Data Book of the former has reached disastrous levels. and marbled teal (Marmaronetta Soviet Union, include the Specialists predict that if the current angustirostris) are listed in both the Mediterranean horseshoe bat rate of logging persists, Armenia will Red Data Book of Armenia and on the (Rhinolophus euryale), Mehely’s horse- be stripped of its forests in a matter of World Conservation Union (IUCN) shoe bat (R. mehelyi), the bezoar goat several decades. And with the forests, Red List of Threatened Species, while (Capra aegagrus aegagrus), and the so too would disappear many of the other bird species encountered in Armenian mouflon. country’s animal species. Armenia such as the ferruginous duck (Aythya nytoca), lesser kestrel (Falco Yet, much of Armenia’s outstanding Lake Sevan, which is both Armenia’s naumanni), and corn crake (Crex biodiversity is under significant threat. largest lake and the largest supply of crex) are included on the IUCN Red The reasons for this are similar to the freshwater in the region, also faces a List only. Richer still is the country’s causes behind biodiversity loss in very serious threat. Since the 1930s, insect fauna, which is represented by other parts of the world. Simply, global when the waters of this oligotrophic more than 14,900 species. climate change and human activities lake were first used to support the are negatively affecting the natural country’s industrial, agricultural, and Reptiles and mammals are far fewer, environment. In Armenia, anthro- energy sectors, the lake’s level has 52 and 83 species, respectively. Of the pogenic impacts such as intensive plunged by almost twenty meters. As a reptiles, many are endemic, including agricultural and livestock develop- result, its temperature regime has the white-bellied lizard (Lacerta uni- ment and urban and industrial devel- changed. As the water mass began to sexualis), the Armenian lizard opment, are exacerbated by the coun- warm, algal blooms occurred, meaning (L. armeniaca), and Darevsky’s viper try’s relatively high population density that algae in the lake increased dra- (Vipera darevskii). Threatened reptiles (400-500 people per square kilome- matically and became visible to the include the Caucasian rat snake ter), as well as by the paucity of arable eye. The Sevan trout (Salmo ishkan), (Elaphe hohenackeri); the lidless skink land (just 18% of the total land area), an endemic fish species that had pre- (Ablepharus cernovi); and the much of which is also threatened by viously been represented by four sub- Armenian viper (Vipera raddei) and desertification. Nearly 80% of species, diminished drastically,