Ecoregion Conservation Plan
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List of Contributors ARMENIA Seyed-Mohammadreza Fatemi, Islamic Azad University Aram Agasyan, Ministry of Nature Protection Mohammad Baqherzadeh-Karimi, Iranian Department Arthur Alaverdyan, State Forest Monitoring Centre of Environment Luba Balyan, Armenian Society of Protection of Birds NGO Mina Torki, Expert Tatyana Danielyan, Ministry of Nature Protection Asghar Mohammadi Fazel, Iranian Department Siranush Galstyan, WWF Armenia Branch of Environment Mamikon Ghasabyan, Institute of Zoology, Behzad Saeedpour, University of Environment National Academy of Sciences Hossein Mohammadi, Iranian Department of Environment Eleonora Grigoryan, Ministry of Nature Protection Mohammad S. Farhadinia, Iranian Cheetah Society Diana Harutyunyan, UNDP Armenia Ali Bali, Iranian Department of Environment Karen Jenderedjian, UNDP Armenia Mohammad Nosrati, Iranian Department of Environment Mark Kalashian, Institute of Zoology, Bagher Nezami, University of Environment /Iranian National Academy of Sciences Cheetah Society Nazik Khanjyan, Institute of Botany, Hadi Jafari, University of Environment National Academy of Sciences Mohammadreza Masoud, East Azerbaijan Society Igor Khorozyan, WWF Armenia Branch for Protection of Wildlife Karen Manvelyan, WWF Armenia Branch Alexander Malkhasyan, WWF Armenia Branch RUSSIA Siranush Muradyan, Ministry of Nature Protection Sergey Bukreev, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology Aram Ter-Zakaryan, UNDP Armenia and Evolution Mikhail Voskanov, Ministry of Nature Protection Gadzhibek Dzhamirzoev, Federal State Institution «Daghestansky Nature Reserve» AZERBAIJAN Vladimir Krever, WWF Russia Nigar Abdurakhmanova, Expert Alexander Naseka, Expert Elshad Askerov, WWF Azerbaijan Boris Tuniyev, Federal State Institution Tevekkul Iskanderov, The Institute of Zoology «Sochi National Park» of National Academy of Sciences Yuri Yarovenko, Caspian Institute of Biological resources, Irina Rakhmatulina, The Institute of Zoology Daghestanian Scientific Centre, Russian Aacademy of Sci- of National Academy of Sciences ences Elchin Sultanov, Azerbaijan Ornitological Society Elena Tagiyeva, The Institute of Geography of National TURKEY Academy of Sciences Sabri Kiriş, General Directorate of Nature Conservation Rashad Allahverdiyev, Ministry of Ecology and National Parks, Ministry of Forest and Water Works and Natural Resources Hüsniye Kılınçarslan, General Directorate of Nature Con- servation and National Parks, Ministry of Forest and Water GEORGIA Works Ketevan Batsatsashvili, Institute of Burcu Bursalı, General Directorate of Nature Conservation Botany/Ilia State University and National Parks, Ministry of Forest and Water Works Maka Bitsadze, Expert Uğur Zeydanlı, NGO, Nature Conservation Centre Nodar Elizbarashvili, Djavakhishvili State University Basak Avcioglu, WWF-Turkey Ramaz Gokhelashvili, Independent expert Sagdan Baskaya, Faculty of Forestry, Karadeniz Technical Zurab Gurielidze, Ilia State University and Tbilisi Zoo University Andrei Kandaurov, Institute of Zoology Ozgun Emre Can, WildCRU, Department of Zoology, Uni- /Ilia State University versity of Oxford Ioseb Kartsivadze, Ministry of Environment Protection Halim Diker, Independent Consultant Merab Machavariani, Forestry expert Sedat Kalem, WWF-Turkey Zurab Manvelidze, NGO “Mta-Bari” Yildiray Lise, IUCN-WCPA Member Lasha Moistsrapishvili, Ministry of Environment Protection/Agency of Protected Areas REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS Giorgi Nakhutsrishvili, Institute of Botany Armen Gevorgyan, Transboundary Joint Secretariat /Ilia State University Hartmut Jungius, Caucasus Biodiversity Council Ilia Osepashvili, WWF-Caucasus Programme Office David Morrison, Caucasus Nature Fund Ana Rukhadze, Ministry of Environment Protection Giorgi Sanadiradze, WWF-Caucasus Programme Office David Tarkhnishvili, Ilia State University Nugzar Zazanashvili, WWF-Caucasus Programme Office and Caucasus Biodiversity Council IRAN Anja Wittich, IUCN Caucasus Cooperation Centre Ali Aghili, Persian Leopard Conservation Society Mohammad Razi Elahian, Expert Nahide Naghizadeh, CENESTA Esmail Kahrom, Islamic Azad University Vahid Jafarian, Expert Kourosh Kavoosi, Expert Edited by: Nugzar Zazanashvili, Mike Garforth, Hartmut Jungius, Tamaz Gamkrelidze with participation of Cristian Montalvo 1 1. INTRODUCTION Table of Contents 1.1. The Caucasus Ecoregion – a globally important biodiversity hotspot 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 3 The Caucasus Ecoregion covers a total area of 580,000 km2, extending over all of Armenia, Azerbaijan 1.1. The Caucasus Ecoregion – a globally important biodiversity hotspot ........ and Georgia, North Caucasian part of Russian Federation, north-eastern Turkey, and part of north- 3 western Iran. The Caucasus is one of the most biologically rich regions on Earth. It is one of WWF’s 35 1.2. Biodiversity under threat ........................................................... 3 “priority places” and of 34 “biodiversity hotspots” identified by Conservation International as being the 1.3. The Ecoregion Conservation Plan .............................................. 4 richest and at the same time most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth. The 2010 1.4. The revised, 2012 edition ........................................................... 4 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (hereinafter referred to as IUCN Red List) identifies around 50 species of globally threatened animals in the Caucasus. 2. BIODIVERSITY OVERVIEW ............................................................ 5 Located at a biological crossroads, species from Central and Northern Europe, Central Asia and the 2.1. “Satellite view” of the Ecoregion ................................................. 5 Middle East, and North Africa mingle with endemics found nowhere else. Over 7,000 species of vas- 2.2. Natural landscapes ................................................................... 6 cular plants are found in the Caucasus. At least a quarter of the plants are found nowhere else on 2.3. Fauna and flora ....................................................................... 7 Earth – the highest level of endemism in the Temperate Zone of the Northern Hemisphere. One-third of the endemic plants in the Caucasus Ecoregion are thought to have originated in the Greater Caucasus Range. Seventeen endemic plant genera thrive in the Caucasus, nine of which are associated with high 3. CONSERVATION STRATEGIES AND ACTORS .................................... 8 mountain communities. Plant associations from the Tertiary period have been preserved in the Colchic 3.1. Conservation strategies ............................................................. 8 and Hyrcanic refugia – centres of plant endemism. The Caucasus Mountains harbour a wealth of highly 3.2. Actors ................................................................................. 9 sought-after medicinal and decorative plants, as well as unique relic and endemic plant communities. At least 153 mammals inhabit the Caucasus; one-fifth of these are endemic to the region. As many as 4. PRIORITY PLACES AND SPECIES ..................................................... 12 400 species of birds are found in the Caucasus, four of which are endemics. The coasts of the Black 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................... 12 and Caspian seas are important stopover sites for millions of migrating birds, flying over the isthmus 4.2. Priority biomes ....................................................................... 13 each spring and autumn between their summer and winter homes. Twenty-one of the 87 reptiles in the 4.3. Priority species ....................................................................... 16 Caucasus are endemic to the region. Fourteen species of amphibians are found here, of which four are 4.4. Priority conservation areas ......................................................... 20 endemics. Some 200 species of fish inhabit the lakes, rivers and seas of the Caucasus, over a third of which are found nowhere else. 5. THE ECOREGION CONSERVATION PLAN ............................................ 20 5.1. Structure .............................................................................. 20 5.2. Implementation and monitoring ................................................... 20 1.2. Biodiversity under threat This amazingly rich biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate. Nearly half the lands in the Ecoregion TABLE A. PLAN FOR IMPROVING THE FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS have already been transformed by human activities. The plains, foothills, and subalpine belts have FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS OF THE ECP ...................................... 21 been the most heavily impacted. Native floodplain vegetation remains on only half of its original area TABLE B. PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE in the North Caucasus, and only two to three percent of original riparian forests remain in the South Caucasus. Most natural old growth forests have been fragmented into small sections, divided by areas USE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS .................................................... 28 of commercial forests or plantations, as well as agricultural and developed lands. For the Caucasus as a TABLE C. PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE whole, about a quarter of the region remains in reasonable condition, while less than 12 percent of the OF FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS .................................................. 35 original vegetation, including forests, can be