by Jonathan Etzold
Azerbaijan (86,600 km2) is a republic in Transcaucasia, bordered on the north by Russia, on the northwest by Georgia, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the south by Iran, and on the west by Armenia. It is a land of high mountain ranges and low river valleys. The Greater Caucasus Mountains form much of the country’s northern border, the Lesser Caucasus forms the country’s southeastern boundary. The Aras-Kura river valleys dominate the central portion of the country. With the exception of the subtropical southeast and upper elevations in the mountainous zones, the climate is generally arid.
The literature is very scarce with information on peatlands that are extremely rare in Azerbaijan. Salaev (1966) described peaty soils in the mountain meadows of the Azerbaijani part of the Lesser Caucasus with a vegetation of sedge species. In the southern and eastern parts this vegetation is intermixed with Nardus stricta and other grass species that have a well developed root system that accumulates organic material. This organic root horizon is 5 – 8 cm thick. Real peat soils with more than 30 cm of peat are absent because of failing water.
Carbonate rich soils (organic content of 8-12%) are found in wet places in river valleys that have a high water table because of irregular flooding and (sub)surface runoff. Relevant communities include the Bolboschoenetum maritimi and the Suadetum confusae. In summer these communities accumulate much organic material in the form of mud and raw humus.
According to the interpreted World Soil
Map (Van Engelen & Huting 2002) 7,330 km2 of gley soils exist
in Azerbaijan but no peatlands. This study, however, only covers large peatlands
and small peatlands remain unnoticed.
Such small peatlands were found in 2002 on softly inclined and undulating hillsides on the northern macro-slope of the Greater Caucasus (Gusari Rayon, around the village of Sudur) at an altitude between 1900 and 2100 m.a.s.l. The bedrock consists mainly of limestone. Wet depressions on the slopes often show a fen-like vegetation, resembling Central European Parvocaricetea (similar to the Primulo-Schoenetum ferruginei) with Carex div. spec., Primula cf. auriculata, Dactylorhiza spec., carbonate encrusted brownmosses etc. (but also partly with Equisetum arvense). The exact depth and composition of the peat in these depressions were not assessed. Like all surrounding meadows also these fens are mown in July and August. Close to a small lake/pond (with Chara spec.) surrounded by zones of Parvo- and Magnocarices vegetation a distinct peat layer of more than 30 cm thickness was well visible in an erosional microcliff. For Nakchivan possible peatlands are reported from mountain lakes (between 2000 and more than 3000 m.a.s.l.) in the vicinity of the recently founded national park Ordubad. In one case a large floating mat was observed (see picture).
On the picture: Elshad Askerov (WWF Azerbaijan, left) and Hafiz Yagubov (Minister of Ecology and Nature Resources of Nakchivan Autonomous Republic, right). In the background: the mire.
Salaev, M.E. 1966. Potsvy Malogo Kavkaza (v predelach Azerbajdzjanskoj SSR). Izdatel’stvo Akademii Kauk Azerbajdzjanskoj SSR, Baku, 330 pp.
Van Engelen, V. & Huting, J. 2002. Peatlands of the World. An interpretation of the World Soil Map. ISRIC, Wageningen, unpublished. GPI Project 29 GPI 1.