The Case of The Southern Caucasus

Environment and Security / 15

Southern Caucasus

Household energy needs and commercial interests drive illegal logging and deforestation. Productivity of agricultural lands is threatened by over-cultivation and salinization, a consequence of the failure to maintain irrigation and drainage systems. Pollution of rivers and coastal areas is impacting the health of all the countries’ populations, hampering coastal develop- ment and tourism. The people of the Southern Caucasus have long been vulnerable to natural hazards and especially to devastating earthquakes. In combination with the growth of industrial and energy infrastructure, these natural hazards threaten to have significantly greater environmental impacts particularly for environmentally sensitive areas such as watersheds and national parks unless appropriate safeguards are implemented.

pollution from former industrial and agricultural producers are of principal concern. In Azerbaijan, industrial pollution, soil degradation, deforestation and trans-boundary water pollution affect public health. In Georgia transportation-re- lated urban air pollution as well as soil and water pollution from pit mining operations, and poor water and sewerage systems pose a significant threat to the environment and to human health. 11 Across the industrial centres and capital cities of all three countries, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases linked to environmental pollution are issues of significant concern. 12 11. South Caucasus Health Information Project 2000. Improving Hu- man and Environmental Health in the South Caucasus. A Brief to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SC- FAIT). www.csih.org/what/schip/schipbrief.html. See also: “National Environmental Action Plan 2000, MoE of Georgia. Technical Assistance with Development of an Air Quality Management Plan and Health Ef- fect Study for Tbilisi”, final report, August 2002, AEA-Technology, UK & Ministry of Environment of Georgia. 12. UNEP GRID-Tbilisi. Caucasus Environment Outlook, 2002.

Ethno-linguistic distribution in the Southern Caucasus, 2004

ABKHAZIA

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Sukhumi

SOUTH OSSETIA

BLACK SEA

CASPIAN SEA

1

Tskhinvali

G E O R G I A

1

Batumi

Tbilisi

ADJARIA

2

1

2

T U R K E Y

2 3

Sumgait

ARMENIA

2

Slavs (Russians and Ukrainians) Indo-European family

Caucasian family North West

A Z E R B A I J A N

Baku

Abkhazs and Abazs

Yerevan

NAGORNO- KARABAKH

Armenians

South (Kartvels)

Greeks

NAKHICHEVAN (Azerbaijan)

Georgians

Nakhichevan

Mingrelians and Svans

IRANIAN GROUP

I R A N

Kurds

North East

0

100

200 km

Ossetians

Daghestanis :

Altaic family

3 2 1

Avars

TURKISH GROUP

Tates and Judeo-Tates

THE MAP DOES NOT IMPLY THE EXPRESSION OF ANY OPINION ON THE PART OF THE THREE AGENCIES CONCERNING THE LEGAL STATUS OF ANY COUNTRY, TERRITORY, CITY OR AREA OF ITS AUTHORITY, OR DELINEATION OF ITS FRONTIERS AND BOUNDARIES. MAP BY PHILIPPE REKACEWICZ - LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE - PARIS

Aguls Lesghins

Azebaijanis

Talechis