Approximately 25,000 species of invertebrates have been recorded from the country, of which
90% are within the phylum Arthropoda. Azerbaijan also hosts 667 species of vertebrates,
across the following taxonomic groups:
Class
Number of species
Fishes
102
Amphibians
10
Reptiles
54
Birds
394
Mammals
107
The diverse and threatened large mammal fauna includes wild goat, chamois, red and roe deer
and their predators, such as lynx, wildcat and leopard. Azerbaijan is an important migratory
path for many bird species travelling from Europe and Russia and south to Africa and Asia.
The lakes and wetlands of Azerbaijan support high numbers of waterfowl species that migrate
through or winter here, including the White-Headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala) and the
globally threatened Lesser White-fronted Goose. Fifty one Important Bird Areas (IBAs) –
hosting 31 globally threatened species, 9 biome-restricted species and 15 congregator species -
and one Endemic Bird Area (EBA) have been identified (Birdlife International). The Red Book
of Azerbaijan (2
nd
Edition, 2013) includes 223 listed faunal species.
The total number of species in the Caspian Sea Region is estimated to be between 1,800 and
2,000, incorporating different groups of plants and animals. This may be broken down as
follows (figures shown here are approximate, as there are some inconsistencies across the
literature):
Biotic group
Total species
Endemic species Red Book species
Phytoplankton
441
17
Unknown
Zooplankton
315
64+
10
Zoobenthos
380
190
20
Fish
133
54
27
Marine and land mammals
125
1
41
Birds
466
Unknown
63
The number of endemic fish species is very high, and includes one lamprey species, 11 herring
species, 24 species of Caspian gobies and five anadromous sturgeon species, all of which are
fished commercially. The Caspian seal is the only resident endemic mammal.
Table 1 below shows the change in distribution of land use in Azerbaijan over the period 2000-
2012.
Table 1: Change in the extent (thousand ha) of different land use types in Azerbaijan (2000-2012)
Land use
category
Type of use
2000
(ha)
2005
(ha)
2008
(ha)
2009
(ha)
2010
(ha)
2011
(ha)
2012
(ha)
Agriculture
Arable land
1825,6
1843,2
1860,2
1874,0
1884,1
1885,7
1896,8
Permanent
crops
236,8
221,5
227,5
227,0
227,4
227,2
230,9
Permanent
meadows and
pastures
2678,0
2693,9
2669,0
2656,2
2655,3
2655,8
2640,6
TOTAL
4740,4
4758,6
4756,7
4757,2
4766,8
4768,7
4768,3
Non-
agricultural
lands
Industry,
roads and
public utilities
395,1
365,3
352,2
350,5
350,1
342,2
342,2
Protected
areas
192,4
288,6
343,9
392,3
393,5
407,1
407,1
Forest
1037,4
1037,8
1038,8
1039,9
1040,7
1040,8
1040,8
Water bodies
150,2
142,5
146,7
147,1
147,1
146,9
146,9
Other
2144,5
2067,2
2021,7
1973,0
1961,8
1954,3
1954,7
TOTAL
3919,6
3901,4
3903,3
3902,8
3893,2
3891,3
3891,7
TOTAL LAND AREA
8660,0
8660,0
8660,0
8660,0
8660,0
8660,0
8660,0
At present, the extent of irrigated lands comprises only 25.2% of the usable agricultural area.
Azerbaijan can be divided into the following six broad ecosystem complexes, all of which
contribute to the high levels of biodiversity represented in the country:
Forest Ecosystems
Over the last 15 years, forested fields are expanded up to 1 million and 21 thousand ha from
989 ha (i.e. the forested areas of the Republic have increased from 11.4 % to 11.8 %). Various
construction and furniture materials are made of the wood of forest plants (see volumes in
Table 2 below). Among them Hornbeam (Carpinus), Georgean oak (Quercus iberica),
European yew (Taxus baccata) and other valuable plants of tree and brushwood are widely
spread in Azerbaijan. No change has been recorded in the Forest Ecosystems of Azerbaijan
Republic since submittal of the Fourth National Report to the Convention Secretariat.
Table 2: Wood residues in forest cutting areas and cleaning of areas from cuttings
2010
2011
2012
Wood residues in cutting areas, m
3
:
Finished wood - total
508
-
318
including merchantable wood
6
-
166
Total volume of standing trees
-
231
1311
of which usable wood
-
208
1160
including merchantable wood
-
30
85
Cutting areas to be cleaned, ha
301
512
2107
including cleaned
287
403
1935
Wood procurement for fuel, m
3
41817
46497
42265
Swamp Ecosystems
No serious change has been recorded in the Swamp Ecosystems of Azerbaijan Republic since
submittal of the Fourth National Report to the Convention Secretariat.
Wetland Ecosystems
No serious change has been recorded in the Wetland Ecosystems of Azerbaijan Republic since
submittal of the Fourth National Report to the Convention Secretariat.
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