1 Coastal and Halophytic Habitats 2 Coastal Sand Dunes and Inland
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1 Coastal and halophytic habitats 2 Coastal sand dunes and inland dunes 3 Freshwater habitats 4 Temperate heath and scrub 5 Sclerophyllous scrub (matorral) 6 Natural and semi-natural grassland formations 7 Raised bogs and mires and fens 8 Rocky habitats and caves 9 Forests 1 Coastal and halophitic communities 2 Non-marine waters 3 Scrub and grasslands 4 Woodland 5 Bogs and marshes 6 Rocky habitats 7 Agriculture land and highly artificial landscapes 1 INTRODUCTION The habitat classification of Georgia is based on the Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats - EUR27. The "Habitats" Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, O.J. L206) is a Community legislative instrument in the field of nature conservation that establishes a common framework for the conservation of wild animal and plant species and natural habitats of Community importance; it provides for the creation of a network of special areas of conservation, called Natura 2000, to "maintain and restore, at favourable conservation status, natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest". The Directive is developed on the bases of CORINE biotope classification (1989, 1991) determining codes and habitat types of Europe, in particular involving the division of the latter into sub-types. To avoid the difficulties of classification of the habitat types in different countries the Scientific Working Group, set up by the Habitats Committee (established by Directive 92/43/EEC), expressed in May 1992 the need to prepare a manual for the interpretation of Annex I including habitat type classification. The results of the commission work were development of the two following points with the national experts: (1) The interpretation work on Annex I should primarily focus on the priority habitat types. (2) The CORINE classification (1991 version) provides a basis for a description of the Annex I habitat types; where the experts feel that it is not suitable, an operational scientific description should be produced from the contributions of the national experts. The aim to develop habitat classification in countries of European continent based on the standards of the EUR27 version of the Interpretation Manual includes descriptions of new habitats, which are characteristics to concrete countries. These new habitat types should be accepted by the Commission and to be added to Annex I. Georgia is a country hosting highly diverse habitat types. Some of those are identical to the habitats, which are already included in the Annex I of the Interpretation Manual v. EUR27. Others, such as Colchic broad-leaved mixed forest, dry open woodland, sub-alpine tall herbaceous vegetation, sub-alpine birch krummholz or Caucasian rhododendron shrubbery, should potentially be included in the Annex I as additional habitat types. According to Interpretation Manual habitat classification is based on plant community types. Georgian vegetation is well studied by Georgian botanists (Grossheim et al., 1928; Ketskhoveli, 1959; Kimeridze, 1965, 1966; Dolukhanov, 1989; Nakhutsrishvili, 1999, Kvachakidze, 2009). The information used in this document is obtained by literature indicated in the bibliography section for each habitat type. It is important that habitat types, based on the CORINE biotope classification, are identified based on the vegetation/ plant species composition, and animal communities of the individual habitats provide additional rather than the basic information. For distribution of the most of animal species (excluding highly specialized insect pollinators) more inclusive habitat types are important rather than individual subtypes of vegetation, hence “Biotops”, according to the EU habitat directive terminology. On the other hands, geographic position of an area is more important for many animals with a limited distribution rather than vegetation specifics, due to a more limited population dispersal, especially of small-bodied terrestrial vertebrates, related to the plant species. By this reason, we not only supplied individual habitat types by lists of the most important animal species, but included in addition biotope and geography - based classification of animal habitats, with brief description of inclusive plant communities where applicable. 2 Bibliography: 1. Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, O.J. L206, 22.07.92. 2. CORINE Biotopes - Technical Handbook, volume 1, p. 73-109, Corine/Biotopes/89-2.2, 19 May 1988. 3. CORINE Biotopes manual, Habitats of the European Community. EUR 12587/3, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1991. 4. Relation between the Directive 92/43/EEC Annex I habitats and the CORINE habitat list 1991 (EUR 12587/3). 5. Grossheim, A.A., Sosnovski, D.I., Troytski, N.A. 1928. Vegetation of Georgia. Tbilisi, Publishhouse Georg. SSR Planing Commision. 6. Ketskhoveli, N. 1959. Sakartvelos mtsenareuli safari. (Vegetation of Georgia). Publish. Acad. Scien. Georgia, Tbilisi. 7. Kimeridze, K. 1965. Kavkasionis lertsamkuchiani mdeloebi (Festuca varia meadows of the Caucasus). Tbilisi. 8. Dolukhanov, A. 1989. Rastitel’nost’ Gruzii (Vegetation of Georgia). v. 1. Metsniereba, Tbilisi. 9. Nakhutsrishvili G. 1999. The vegetation of Georgia (Caucasus). - Braun-Blanquetia 15:1-74. 10. Kvachakidze, R. 2009. Vegetation of Georgia. Tbilisi, TBG&IB. 11. Tarkhnishvili, D. Kikodze D., eds., Principal characteristics of Georgian Biodiversity. In Natura Caucasica (publication of the NGO CUNA Georgica) vol. 1. No 2. 12. Chatwin, M.E., Kikodze, D., Svanidze, T., Chikvaidze, J., Gvritishvili, M., and Tarkhnishvili, D.N. (Eds.), Georgian Country Biological Diversity Study Report, (1996., Program "Assistance for preparation of Biodiversity Country Study in the Republic of Georgia"), UNEP, Ministry of Environment of Georgia, Noah's Ark Centre for Recovery of Endangered Species; 1997, Tbilisi, Georgia : 74-82. (in Georgian) 13. Tarkhnishvili, D., A. Kandaurov, Z. Gurielidze, and I. Matcharashvili. 1996. Review of Literature and Other Sources about Condition of the Environment on the Territory of Georgia along the Early Oil Transportation Pipeline Corridor and Adjacent Territories from Georgia-Azerbaijan Border to Supsa Terminal. Zoology. pp. 1-53, Tbilisi, GPC: 1-53. 14. Gabrielian, G. (ed.) 1986. Physical Geography of the Caucasus. Yerevan, Publ. Yerevan State Univ. (in Russian). 15. Расс Т.С. – Современные представления о составе ихтиофауны Черного моря и его изменениях. Вопросы ихтиологии, 1987, т. 27, вып.2, изд. «Наука». М. с.179-187. 16. Georgian National Report Black Sea Biological Diversity Georgia, United National Publications, New York, 1998, p.101-106 3 Biotope 1: Coastal and halophitic communities (Habitat categories: Coastal and halophytic habitats and Coastal sand dunes and inland dunes) Black Sea coastline of Georgia stretches at ca. 315 km. Animal composition, to some extent, differs between halophytic, sand, and rocky coastal communities. None of these habitats harbor large mammal species, some of that provide stopover sites for migratory birds. Presence of birds and other vertebrates does not depend on the particular type of the coastal substrate, therefore the species composition is given here irrespective to a particular habitat type. Animal species characteristic for the coastal habitats Nesting and migratory birds (spring counts data): Podiceps cristatus, Podiceps auritus, Puffinus yelkouan, Phalacrocorax carbo, Egretta garzetta, Ardea cinerea, Ardea purpurea, Cosmerodius albus, Plegadis falcinellus, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas acuta, Anas crecca, Anas querquedula, Aythya fuligula, Milvus migrans, Haliaeetus albicilla, Circus aeruginosus, Circus pygargus, Accipiter nisus, Accipiter gentilis, Buteo buteo, Falco tinnunculus, Falco vespertinus, Pluvialis apricaria, Charadrius dubius, Numenius arquata, Calidris alba, Glareola nordmanni, Stercorarius parasiticus, Larus ridibundus, Larus minutus, Sterna sandvicensis., Chlidonias leucopterus, Apus apus, Upupa epops, Alauda arvensis, Hirundo rustica, Delichon urbica, Motacilla alba, Motacilla flava, Turdus merula, Oenanthe oenanthe, Emberiza hortulana, Miliaria calandra, Lanius collurio, L. excubitor, Carduelis chloris, Carduelis spinus, Carduelis carduelis, Passer domesticus, Sturnus vulgaris, Garrulus glandarius, Corvus frugilegus, Corvus corone, Corvus corax,. Terrestrial vertebrates: lake frog (Rana ridibunda), green toad (Bufo viridis), common treefrog (Hyla arborea), in small freshwater bodies entering the channel – smooth and crested newts (Triturus karelinii, Lissotriton vulgaris), sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), ring and dice snakes (Natrix natrix, N. tesselata), European marsh turtle (Emys orbicularis), Caucasian mole (Talpa caucasica), feral cats and dogs, jackal (Canis aureus), feral dogs and cats. Fish species found in the eastern coastal area of the Black Sea: Lampetra mariae, Squalus acanthias, Raja clavata, Dasyatis pastinaca, Huso huso, Acipenser nudiventris, Acipenser guldenstadti, Acipenser sturio, Acipenser stellatus, Sprattus sprattus, Clupeonella cultriventris, Alosa caspia palaeostomi, Alosa pontica, Engraulis encrasicolus, Salmo trutta labrax, Esox lucius, Rutilus rutilus, Leuciscus cephalus, Scardinius erythrophtalmus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Tinca tinca, Chondrostoma colchicum, Gobio gobio, Varicorhinus sieboldi, Barbus tauricus, Chalcalburnus chalcoides, Alburnus alburnus, Alburnoides bipunctatus, Blicca