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The Caucasus Ecoregion stretches across the Greater
and Lesser Caucasus Mountains, running between
the Black and Caspian Seas and encompassing
part or all of six nations.
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This unique region is
diverse in its culture, landscape and biodiversity. It
is recognized as one of the World Wide Fund for
Nature’s (WWF) top 35 “priority places”. With some
of the richest and most endangered biodiversity on
Earth, Conservation International classifies it as one
of the world’s 34 Biodiversity Hotspots (Zazanashvili
2012). The South Caucasus represents the central
part of this ecoregion, extending across Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991,
the economies of the three South Caucasus countries
experienced dramatic economic declines. Previously,
they were highly developed republics of the Soviet
Union but after the collapse of the USSR, they found
themselves with dilapidated industries and diminished
administrative infrastructure. Now the region has
grown in its importance, serving as a geopolitical
bridge between East and West. It serves as a transit
corridor for energy and benefits from the economic
opportunities associated with that. All three countries
have shown a significant macroeconomic recovery
and in 2014, gross domestic product reached US$ 10.8
billion in Armenia, US$ 75.2 billion in Azerbaijan, and
US$ 16.5 billion in Georgia (national statistics).
Despite encouraging economic signs in the
region, these are still fragile states that continue to
Introduction
undergo administrative reforms, suffer from the
unsustainable use of natural resources, and lack
economic diversification. The natural heritage of the
South Caucasus faces serious threats from increasing
human activities. Geopolitical tensions are also
Lake Sevan, Armenia
hampering the regional cooperation necessary for
environmental action and sustainable development.
Exacerbating these threats are the growing impacts
from climate change on the region.