The Caucasus region is a biodiversity hotspot located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It covers parts of several countries, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and northeastern Turkey. The region contains 9 climate zones and over 6,500 plant species, 25% of which are found nowhere else. It is considered one of the most biologically diverse temperate forest regions in the world. However, nearly half of the land has been transformed by human activities like logging, overgrazing, and infrastructure development, threatening the native species. Conservation groups are working to address these threats and preserve the region's biodiversity through protected areas and management plans like the Ecoregion Conservation Plan for the Caucasus.

1. CAUCASUS HOTSPOT
Samyog

2. What is Biodiversity hotspot?
• Biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographical
region that is both a significant reservoir of
biodiversity and is threatened with
destruction.

3. CAUCASUS HOTSPOT
• Among those 36 biodiversity hotspots,
Caucasus hotspot is one of them .It covers
500,000 sq km.

4. Located at the border of Eastern
Europe and western Asia between the
Black sea and the caspian sea.
• The hotspot includes following
countries :-
Georgia (country)
Aermenia (The land of
water fountain)
Azerbaijan
Russia
Northeastern Turkey

5. • 9 Climate Zones
• Home to an unusually high number of
endemic plant and animal species, it
ranks as one of the world’s
biodiversity “hotspots” according to
both Conservation International and
WWF.
• a biological crossroads, where plant
and animal species from Europe,
Central Asia, the Middle East, and
North Africa mingle with endemic
species found no where else on earth.

6. UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY
(ECP_Ecoregion_Conservation_Plan_Caucasus_2012
_revised_and_updated_edition)
• has the greatest biological diversity of any
temperate forest region in the world.
• shelters 6,500 species of vascular plants, at least
1,600 of which (25 percent) are unique to the
region.
• a number of endemic animals.

7. Unique Landscapes
• Extremes in altitude, broad variations
in climate, soil and vegetative
conditions combine to form a wide
range of landscapes, from semi-
desert to high altitude tundra, from
alpine meadow to deep forest.
• The mountainous zones hold peaks
higher than the any of the Alps. (
Alps's highest peak :- Mont Blanc
4804 m)

8. (ECP_Ecoregion_Conservation_Pla
n_Caucasus_2012_revised_and_up
dated_edition)

9. Biodiversity under Threats
• Nearly half the lands in the
ecoregion have been transformed
by human activities.
• The plains, foothills and subalpine
belts have suffered the heaviest
impact.
• Most natural old growth forests have
been fragmented into small
sections, divided by areas of
commercial forest, agricultural and
developed lands.

10. The major threats to biodiversity in the
ecoregion are:
• illegal logging,
• fuel wood harvesting and the timber trade;
• overgrazing;
• poaching and the illegal wildlife trade;
• overfishing;
• infrastructure development; and
• pollution of rivers and wetlands.

11. It leads to..
• habitat degradation,
• decline of species population
• disruption of ecological processes
• —all contributing to the overall loss of
biodiversity.
So,Well managed protected area are key
to control the biodiversity loss in this
area.

12. Activity ongoing to mitigate problems :-
• The Ecoregion Conservation Plan
for the Caucasus (ECP) is a
comprehensive strategy and action
plan for conserving the biodiversity
of the Caucasus ecoregion.
“Our vision for the Caucasus is of a
region where healthy populations of
native plants and animals flourish;
habitats, landscapes and natural
processes are preserved; and where
vibrant and diverse peoples actively

13. • The Ecoregion Conservation Plan
for the Caucasus (ECP) is a result
of a collaborative effort involving
more than 140 experts from six
countries and a range of
backgrounds, including government
authorities, biodiversity conservation
experts, local and international
NGOs and scientific institutions.
• four priority biomes - forest,
freshwater and wetland, coastal and

14. fig;- Causasian salamender (only the amphibian priority species)

15. --some Priority mammals that have been
identified by the ECP :-

17. • What more.....
Some clips of the Georgian Caucasus

19. • Some Impressions of Azerbaijan :-

22. Armenia :-

24. References :-
https://www.caucasus-naturefund.org
https://www.savingknowledge.org/ethnobota
ny-of-the-caucasus/
https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-
hotspots/caucasus
https://armeniagogo.com/
www.debaser.it
Conservation international

25. ANY QUESTIONS ?