CAUCASUS
     
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The Caucasus is a region in Eastern Europe and Western Asia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus mountains and surrounding lowlands.

The highest peak is Elbrus (5642m), which is also considered to be the highest mountain in Europe.

The independent nations that comprise today's Caucasus include territory of Russia (several Northern Caucasus Autonomous Republics, Territories and Districts within the limits of Russian Federation), Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Large, non-independent areas of the Caucasus include Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, among others. The Caucasus is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse places on earth.

The southern section of the Caucasus is known as the Transcaucasus or South Caucasus.


BIODIVERSITY

Plants
The Caucasus is home to 6,300 plant species, 1,600 of which (or 25.4 percent) are restricted to the region. There are 17 endemic genera of plants here, nine of which are associated with high mountain ecosystems. Endemism is particularly high in rocky-scree environments in this range; 80 percent of the plants growing on the Colkehetian limestone scree are found nowhere else in the world.

The flora of the Caucasus region includes many ancient species; many forms are still dominant or co-dominant in the hotspot's plant communities. Notable relict species include the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica).

Vertebrates
Fifty-nine of the 632 vertebrate species (9.3 percent) found in the Caucasus are endemic. Animal diversity is 2-3 times the diversity of the surrounding areas.

Birds
There are nearly 400 bird species in the region, and three of these are endemic: Caucasian Black Grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi), Caucasian Snow Cock (Tetraogallus caucasicus), and Caucasian Warbler (Phylloscopus lorenzii).

The territory of Caucasus contains significant numbers of breeding raptor populations and is an important corridor for migratory birds. Millions of birds pass through each summer and autumn along two major migration routes on the east coast of the Black Sea and the west coast of the Caspian Sea.

Mammals
There are 152 mammal species in the Caucasus. Of the 32 endemic mammal species four are threatened. Like other young mountain ranges, the Caucasus region has both newly evolved species as well as ancient relict species. Here, ancient mammals are represented by the genera Mesocricetus, Sicista, and Apodemus.

Several large endangered mammal species are found in this hotspot. The critically endangered leopard subspecies, Panthera pardus ciscaucasia, which was widespread throughout the region a century ago, has been reduced to less than 50 individuals in the most inaccessible mountains. The leopard is endangered because of habitat destruction, development, poaching, and the loss of prey species. Two species of tur, an endemic goat found in the high mountains of the Caucasus, also face serious pressure. The East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis) is considered endangered while the West Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica) is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Other mammal species in the hotspot include the lynx (Lynx lynx), brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), long-clawed mole-vole (Prometheomys schaposchnikovi), and the Caucasian red deer (Cervus elaphus maral). Many of these species are poached for their fur.

Reptiles
Reptiles are represented by 76 species, 21 of which are endemic and 6 threatened. The region is a center of diversity and endemism for the lizard family Lacertidae. Twenty-one of the world's 45 species are present in the Caucasus, and 16 of these are endemic. Interestingly, several of the Lacerta species (Lacerta dahli and Lacerta armenica) are parthenogenic, meaning that there are no males, and females reproduce entirely on their own.

Other notable reptiles include the endemic Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznokovi). The venom of this species is useful for stopping excessive bleeding in surgery patients, and the snake is exploited for a lucrative black market trade.

Amphibians
There are 15 amphibian species in the Caucasus; only 3 of these are endemic. The Caucasian salamander (Mertensiella caucasica) is the region's best known amphibian species, endemic to the West Caucasus of Georgia and Turkey.

References
Davis, S.D., V.H. Heywood, O. Herrera-MacBryde, J. Villa-Lobos, and A.C. Hamilton (Eds.). 1997. Centres of Plant Diversity: A Guide and Strategy for Their Conservation (Vol. 3. The Americas). WWF-World Wildlife Fund for Nature and IUCN-The World Conservation Union. IUCN Publications Unit, Cambridge (U.K.).

IUCN. 2000. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Compiled by C. Hilton-Taylor, IUCN-The World Conservation Union/Species Survival Commission, Gland (Switzerland). Available in electronic form only at www.redlist.org.

Stattersfield, A.J. and D.R. Capper (Eds.). 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. BirdLife International, London.

Stattersfield, A.J., M.J. Crosby, A.J. Long, and D.C. Wege. 1988. Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. Birdlife Conservation Series 7. BirdLife International, Cambridge (U.K.).

Zazanashvili, N., G. Sanadiradze, and A. Bukhnikashvili. 1999. Caucasus. In: R.A. Mittermeier, N. Meyers, P. Robles Gil, and C.G. Mittermeier. Hotspots: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions. CEMEX,

 

 

HUMAN IMPACTS

The Caucasus region has been inhabited and affected by human communities for tens of thousands of years, but several pristine areas remain in the hotspot, mostly in remote high-altitude areas and inaccessible gorges. About 25 percent of the area, totaling 125,000 square kilometers, remainins as natural habitat; however, only 10 percent, or 50,000 square kilometers, is considered pristine. Most of the hotspot's intact ecosystems are concentrated in inaccessible high mountain sites while the plains and the foothills have suffered the most habitat loss.

 

 

ILLEGAL LOGGING, OVERGRAZING, POACHING

The conservation situation in the Caucasus region has deteriorated because of the social and economic crises that have plagued the region since 1992. A lack of fuel and alternate energy sources has dramatically increased the consumption of firewood, and consequently, illegal timber cutting has increased in many areas. Overgrazing by sheep has eroded the natural vegetation in pasturelands, and the poaching of wild animals has increased significantly since the 1990s. The animals at the highest risk from poaching are:

  • leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasia)
  • brown bear (Ursus arctos)
  • wolf (Canis lupus)
  • Caucasian red deer (Cervus elaphus maral)
  • East and West Caucasian turs (Capra caucasica, C. cylindricornis)

Habitat destruction and alteration has resulted in the listing of more than 80 native animal species as threatened or endangered to some degree.

 

 

CONSERVATION ACTION AND PROTECTED AREAS

There is a long tradition of resource protection in the Caucasus. The first state nature reserve was created in 1912. Since then, 36 strict nature reserves, two biosphere reserves, and one national park have been established. In strict nature reserves, only scientific research is allowed. Protected areas cover 10,650 square kilometers or 2.1 percent of the region's total land area. An additional 3,400 square kilometers, 0.7 percent of total land area, is in hunting reserves, which offer some degree of protection and resource management. Nonetheless, the integrity of many of these protected areas is under threat from increased poaching, illegal logging, and grazing. The reduced capacity and resources of government agencies make conservation priorities difficult to enforce.

More remaining habitat in the Caucasus hotspot needs to be formally protected to ensure the long-term survival of the region's biodiversity. Habitat types that need immediate protection include remnant lowland forests and foothill and subalpine ecosystems.

Much of the remaining land in the region is owned by governments, meaning that it could be much more easily and quickly protected. As market economies gain strength in the region, land ownership will pass to private owners, and the opportunity to easily create new reserves will be lost.

 

NEW PROTECTED AREAS

Plans are also being made for seven new national parks, notably the 680-square kilometer Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and a trans-boundary protected area on the border between Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Trans-boundary projects are important conservation priorities in the region for protecting species on the verge of extinction, like the leopard subspecies. They are also critical for connecting populations in fragmented habitats, like the brown bear, wolf, and lynx, as well as protecting rare and endemic species of fish in the region's rivers and lakes.