Aziz Najafov,
(Chief Specialist of the State Committee of Ecology of the Azerbaijan Republic)
Development of Habitat Protection Action Plan for the Azeri
Sector of the Caspian Sea
Recently the condition of marine and coastal habitats
significantly deteriorated due to both direct (pollution and overuse) and indirect
(economical activities) anthropogenic impact. At present the habitats fail to carry out a
range of functions. In spite of the various initiatives of the Caspian states, a
coordinated regional program has not been organised. The program could serve as a basis
for solution of general problems of habitat protection, joint actions, exchange of survey
results etc. Development of an Action Plan is a major step to create coordinated regional
program of Marine and Coastal Habitat Protection in the Caspian, which will allow
to identify priorities for investment.
Chapter 1 Review and Role of the Caspian Habitats
contains the analysis of the factors that threaten habitats of the Azerbaijan sector of
the Caspian Sea, and consequences of the loss and degradation of the habitats.
Chapter 2 Inventory and Monitoring of the Habitats
states that there is no internationally accepted system of monitoring of marine and
coastal habitats in Azerbaijan. Monitoring is carried out in all reserves with marine and
coastal habitats according to universal program ‘Chronicles of Nature’.
It is necessary to make an inventory and carry out a
complex monitoring of habitats in the republic according to international standards. A
program of inventory of the coastal habitats should be approved.
The following actions are recommended:
Assess resources that could be used for the inventory
and monitoring (personnel, expertise, equipment, information), and identify the
requirements.
Carry out a program of inventory of the coastal habitats
in accordance with international standards.
Develop a program of monitoring of the coastal habitats
according to international standards, to monitor the changes in the area and conditions of
the habitats listed in the inventory, establish a system of rapid response to identify
potentially threatening factors.
Develop a report system to distribute the results of the
inventory and monitoring programs at national and international levels.
Recommended regional actions:
Prepare a review of available inventories and monitoring
programs in all Caspian states.
Identify requirements of resources (funds, equipment and
training) and duration of the ecosystem inventory program in each country.
Create a mechanism of coordination of expertise and data
exchange between the countries.
Develop and agree common methods (including
classification, criteria of habitats selection and their description, list of necessary
indicators and database system) of inventory programs all over the region.
Provide international assistance to supply equipment and
training.
Assess the effectiveness of inventory programs and
habitat inventory in each country.
Prepare and distribute standard methods of environmental
conditions of the habitats.
In Chapter 3 Protection of Species in the Caspian habitats
national actions include:
Preparation of the National Action Plan for protection
and rehabilitation of rare and endangered species that will include a program of
protection and rehabilitation for each individual species or a group of species (basing on
the system of priorities for the species).
Preparation and implementation of special target
programs of protection (in-situ and ex-situ) and rehabilitation of endangered species
including inventory and complex monitoring of species according to international
standards.
Foundation of a scientific centre for breeding rare and
endangered species.
Ratification of the Bonn Convention and participation in
the Agreement for Protection of Migrating Waterfowl of Africa and Eurasia.
Organisation of wide propaganda of species protection
using certain rare or endangered species as a symbol.
Recommended regional actions:
Review information of the Red Books of the region to
identify national, regional and global status of all endangered species.
It is necessary to give examples of the species that were
successfully protected to increase public awareness.
Training and extension of public awareness should be
considered as central components of the Action Plan.
The first priority is to develop a comprehensive strategy
to attract public attention to the problems. The following actions are recommended:
Development of a strategy that offers a system of
actions to increase public participation, prepared for individual species of fauna and
flora and individual stakeholders, i.e. residents of the habitats, users of the resources
like fishermen, hunters, tourists.
Development of a system of actions to increase public
consciousness of the decision-makers (politicians, state officers) and wide public.
Implementation of special programs.
Migrating or endangered species should be used as symbols
of the environment protection movement, as projects to protect them often get wide public
support. The species to be used as leaders for strengthening and improvement of
biodiversity protection should be famous endangered species of flora and fauna and
globally endangered species that are protected both in Europe and world-wide.
Endangered species in the region include spur-thighed
tortoise, eastern spadefoot, Elaphe longissima, chamois, white-tailed eagle, osprey, great
bustard, little bustard, black stork, flamingo, pygmy cormorant, Dalmatian and white
pelican, red-breasted goose, lesser white-fronted goose, etc.
It is necessary to prepare and implement an Action Plan
to control distribution of introduced species.
At present no state programs to control introduction of
invasive species exist, there is almost no co-ordination between the organisations that
deal with introduction and acclimatisation of species.
There is certain legislation in the republic preventing
introduction of invasive species (Legislation on the Wild Life), but not all the sides of
the activity are controlled by legal and regulatory acts.
To develop and improve preventive measures against
introduction of invasive species that threaten species and habitats the following actions
are required:
carry out environmental expertise of scientific and
economical projects on introduction and acclimatisation of organisms;
organise monitoring of the main habitats (ecosystems) in
the country, including introduced species;
develop liabilities and responsibilities of legal and
physical persons associated with unauthorised introduction or creation of favourable
conditions for introduction of dangerous invasive species;
develop international cooperation, new standards, rules
and recommendations to prevent introduction of invasive species, improve methods of
removal of dangerous species;
strengthen state control of the activity, improve
quarantine services.
Chapter 4 Rehabilitation of Degraded Habitats of the
Caspian states that the conception of rehabilitation and recovery of various coastal
habitats (wetlands etc) is new, and there are almost no precedents of rehabilitation in
the country. In spite of the interest to the problem, there is no systematic database on
recovery and expertise in the Caspian states, there is no experience in this field.
At regional level:
Compile a review of major problems with the description
of types of the habitats and review rehabilitation capacity of the region;
Identify requirements and educate local specialists to
carry out rehabilitation and recovery of habitats;
Develop training programs and methods, organise a range
of regional courses to educate local specialists to carry out rehabilitation and recovery
of habitats.
Recommended regional actions:
Carry out an inventory of habitats, select the ones that
require immediate actions on rehabilitation and recovery, and identify the type of actions
for each individual case.
Develop a system of national training courses on
rehabilitation of habitats on the basis of international regulations. Provide
participation of specialists from state, scientific and social organisations in training
on rehabilitation and recovery of habitats.
Develop and implement a range of projects on
rehabilitation and recovery of habitats, monitor the results.
The following habitats in the Azerbaijan sector of the
Caspian Sea require immediate rehabilitation and recovery:
Samur-Divichi area – lowland forests and wetlands
of Divichi estuary;
Apsheron-Gobustan area – habitats of waterfowl and
rare and endangered species and communities of flora;
Wetlands of Shirvan reserve and Bandovan preserve;
Kura river area – habitats of waterfowl and
spawning grounds;
Wetlands of Kyzyl-Agach reserve and Small Kyzyl-Agach
Bay preserve;
Lenkoran area – Girkan lowland forests.
To raise the level of the specialists that are involved in
rehabilitation and recovery of habitats the following actions are proposed:
To hold a seminar on problems and methods of
rehabilitation and recovery of various habitats in the Caspian Sea.
To organise regional training for specialists from
different countries to carry out rehabilitation and recovery of habitats.
During the first stage, pilot projects should be prepared
to demonstrate the effect of actions on rehabilitation and recovery of coastal and marine
habitats.
The following pilot projects are proposed to protect and
recover the habitats of waterfowl of Azerbaijan coast of the Caspian:
Protection of wetlands of Kyzyl-Agach reserve.
Recovery of habitats of Divichi estuary. The objective
of the pilot project is to protect and rehabilitate coastal forest habitats.
Rehabilitation of forests of Samur-Divichi lowlands.
Rehabilitation of tertiary forests of Lenkoran lowlands.
Chapter 5 Protection of Existing Habitats of the
Caspian: strategy and planning tools contains analysis of legislative base,
participation of the republic in international conventions and agreements, confirmation of
necessity to develop national and special strategy and planning tools.
Primary strategic tasks:
Development of a common planning system for joining
efforts to protect unique marine and coastal habitats, for instance, include environment
protection tasks into development plans of republics and individual sectors;
Cooperation and effective distribution of resources
between state, public and scientific organisations; support of environment protection
organisations;
Fulfilment of requirements of international legislation
and regional programs by means of systems of real actions considering the necessity of
cooperation for implementation of projects concerning border zones, migrating species,
development of common methods and handing over ‘know-how’.
Planning tasks:
Create a network of protected coastal and marine areas,
dense enough to support main environmental processes, and representing the diversity of
the habitats and the species of the country;
Develop planning and zoning approach to enable a range
of changes including public and private management. The approaches will consider the
sensitivity of ecosystems, on one hand, and requirements of local residents, on the other
hand, and provide a wide range of management activities in coastal and marine habitats,
from rigid protection to rational use;
Develop management plans for coastal areas and PNR on
the basis of complex and strategy approach bearing in mind that the plans should be used
as a monitoring tool;
Develop training programs for authorities, other people
and organisations involved in the protection of marine and coastal habitats to enable them
participate in creation of protected areas, development of management plans, control and
regulation system.
To improve the condition of habitats it is necessary to
prepare a complex program to solve the following tasks:
Prepare an appropriate politic and legislative structure
to increase biodiversity, for assessment, control and prevention of pollution of
ecosystems, including national report of conditions, status and trends, coastal zone
management systems and agreement of standards, criteria and legislation with the ones of
the Caspian countries.
Create favourable conditions for investments in
protection and rehabilitation of habitats, including the portfolio of urgent investments,
implementation of surveys before investments and preparation of investment plans to
protect and rehabilitate habitats.
National activities:
ratification of the Bonn Convention by the country;
development of the National Strategy and Action Plan to
protect biodiversity to reflect all the main subjects of the Action Plan of protection of
marine and coastal habitats.
Regional activities:
To asses the status and requirements of political and
planning mechanisms enabling protection of biodiversity, protection and rational use of
marine and coastal ecosystems, the following seminars should be held:
Review of environment protection policies and planning
in the area. The seminar should result in preparation of a comprehensive report on
regional environment protection policies and planning. It will also be used as a base to
prepare national plans of protection of habitats and will help to identify the need in
resources and training. The report should include the names of organisations and actions
that require assistance of international community (equipment supply).
The main objectives of the seminar are:
review the needs of each country in planning tools and
the possibility to include them into the regional strategy (including planning of
protected areas and land tenure, management of coastal areas);
find out if the protection of certain habitats could be
carried out by means of planning and environmental policies of the state;
evaluate requirements in educational programs for
authorities and decision makers, identify the best way of delivery;
study the models that could be used for national
planning.
B. Training seminar on environmental polices and
planning ‘Marine and coastal ecosystems: strategy and planning tools’.
The seminar could be the first stage of long-term training
program focusing on technical issues and technologies transfer in the field of planning of
managerial activities, coastal zone management etc.
Chapter 6 Public awareness and education
focuses on activities to increase the level of awareness of functions and value of the
Caspian habitats.
Public awareness and education should be considered as
central components of the present Plan.
National activities:
Develop a national program of activities increasing
habitat-specific awareness of stakeholders such as residents, users of resources
(fishermen, hunters, farmers, tourists etc).
Develop the systems of activities to increase education
and awareness level of the population not connected with marine and coastal areas
directly, such as decision makers (politicians, state officers), wide public, state system
of education.
Identify and study existing organisation systems and
mechanisms of public awareness and education activities, as well as people and
organisations (state and public) that are able and willing to participate in the
development of national and regional programs.
Participate in the development of a regional program
(including national review of situation in the country).
Found an informational-analytical centre on
biodiversity.
Use mass media oriented to wide audience and socially
active professionals.
Hold propaganda campaigns, ‘motto years’, and
environmental holidays to explain the value of the habitats and species.
Publish popular information (booklets and prospects)
about habitats and PNR of the country.
Regional activities:
Develop a regional program to increase public awareness
and education.
Identify requirements in materials and training to carry
out actions to increase public awareness and consciousness, develop and agree plans to
address the requirements.
Chapter 7 Development of national and regional PNR
contains the description of existing PNR’s.
Thus, the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea contains 3
reserves (total area 117,000 hectares) and 5 preserves (total area about 50,000 hectares).
The chapter also includes requirements to new protected
areas.
It is planned to found the following national parks and
reserves:
National park Shah Dag with a total area of
300,000 hectares on the territory of Gusary, Kuba, Shemakha and Hachmaz districts with an
affiliate of a marine reserve.
National park Samur with a total area of 30,000
hectares on the territory of Hachmaz district.
National park Talysh with a total area of 50,000
hectares on the territory of Lerik, Astara, Lenkoran and Massaly districts, incuding
coastal areas.
Kurinsky reserve with a total area of 10,000
hectares.
The chapter lists recommendations on pilot projects at
national and regional levels.
National Pilot Projects:
Foundation of National park Samur
Foundation of Kurinsky reserve
Transboundary pilot project:
Preparation of Program of creation of Azerbaijan
–Russia Transboundary Protected Natural Reserve (TPNR) in the Caspian Sea.
It is propose to use existing Dagestan national park in
Russia and planned national park Samur in Azerbaijan.
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