The Caucasian Black
Grouse
Tetrao mlokosiewiczi is occurs between the Black Sea
and the Caspian Sea in the Great and Little Caucasus mountains in
Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, east into north-eastern
Turkey and south into north-western Iran; the major part of the
range is in Russia and Georgia. The species has the smallest
distribution of all Eurasian grouse species. Estimates of total
population size are vague and vary between 10-100,000 birds. The
species probably has been declining at least since the 1980s and
has disappeared from parts of its range. Habitat degradation due
to cattle grazing and shepherding, predation by feral and
shepherd-dogs, and illegal hunting are assumed to be major threats
to the species.
The conservation status of
the Caucasian Black Grouse is insufficiently clarified. Up-to-date
information on distribution, abundance, and population trends are
lacking. This is reflected in the international red data books,
that list the species as data deficient (IUCN 2000) and
insufficiently known (Red Data Book of European Vertebrates 1997).
However, the species is listed as endangered in the national red
data books throughout its range (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran,
Georgia, Turkey, Russia). Some local naturalists believe that the
species is rapidly declining and threatened by extinction.
In the IUCN/SSC Grouse
Action Plan (Storch
2000), the IUCN/SSC/BirdLife/WPA Grouse
Specialist Group (GSG) has reviewed information available on the
Caucasian Black grouse, and has sketched project proposals to
clarify the status and reduce the threats to the species. To date,
however, none of these projects has been implemented. The major
difficulties appear to be the socio-economic situation in the
range countries, and thus, a lack of funding, logistics, and other
support for local researchers.
CBG Workshop in Beijing
The GSG held a workshop on
the Caucasian Black Grouse (CBG) on 21 August 2002 during the 9th
International Grouse Symposium (IGS) in Beijing, China. `
The workshop's objectives were:
- to bring together
scientists from the
CBG´s range countries, to enable them
to
meet with international grouse experts, and to strengthen
their contacts with the GSG;
- to
increase awareness
and interest regarding
the CBG in the international scientific
community and among GSG members;
- to
initiate concrete
steps towards field
surveys and research studies on the CBG to
clarify status and threats according to IUCN
criteria.
The GSG invited scientists
from 5 of the 6
range countries to participate in the IGS and the
CBG workshop, and offered financial assistance with travel
expenses. Unfortunately, WPA funding did not become available
until about two months before the IGS, and thus, invitations came
at too short notice. As a result, Sagdan Baskaya from Turkey
participated in the IGS as the only representative of the
CBG´s range who is presently conducting field work on the
species. Further workshop participants with their own experience
of the species were Roald Potapov (Russia) and Siegfried Klaus
(Germany). The workshop on 21 August 2002 was attended by 13 GSG
members.
- GSG
Chair Ilse Storch
gave an introduction on the
species, its range, unclarified
conservation
status, and the workshop goals.
- Siegfried Klaus showed
slides reporting
on the ecology of the species in Russia and
Azerbaijan, and briefly introduced the new BirdLife/NABU
project that has been started in Azerbaijan (see below).
- Sagdan Baskaya, who had
given a lecture
on his studies on the CBG in Turkey in the IGS
Sessions on 20 August, sketched a project proposal in order to
clarify the distribution and abundance of the species in
Turkey, and to identify its major threats. The proposal was
based on the Conservation recommendations outlined in the IUCN
Grouse Action Plan.
- The proposal by
Baskaya
was discussed and approved by the
workshop participants.
- Suggestions
were made
to extend the scope of the
project (collect feathers for
genetic
analyses of population differentiation and gene flow)
and to extend activities into other range countries (GIS
analysis of vegetation types and topography from satellite
images to produce a map of potential habitats as a basis for
field surveys).
- Workshop
participants
concluded that there is a need
to systematically collect data
for a
range-wide analysis of factors affecting the distribution
and abundance of the CBG in different parts of its past and
present range.
The following concrete
steps were
agreed:
- Sagdan
Baskaya will
revise his project proposal
according to workshop discussions,
and submit it
to GSG Chair Ilse Storch for review.
- Ilse Storch will send
the draft
proposal to those seven workshop participants and GSG
members who volunteered as reviewers.
- Based on the comments
received from
reviewers, Sagdan Baskaya will produce a final
version.
- The proposal will then
be approved by the GSG and submitted to WPA for
funding.
- If WPA are unable to
support the proposal, the GSG will approach other potential
donors.
Workshop participants
agreed that the high
motivation and exceptional field skills of
Sagdan Baskaya, the high scientific quality of his work, and his
good contacts to the GSG, justify priority implementation of his
project with the help of the GSG. Further projects in other range
countries should be supported as opportunities arise. Interest has
been expressed by GSG members in Georgia (A. Gavashelishvili) and
Russia (A. Mezhnev), and also by GSG contacts in Armenia (V.
Ananian).
CBG project underway in
Azerbaijan
A first step to tackle the
research needs outlined in the Grouse Action Plan is under way in
Azerbaijan. The German BirdLife-Partner NABU and the Azerbaijan
Ornithological Society (AOS) started work on the species in spring
2002, financed by NABU, RSPB and the Dutch Ministry of Environment
through the BirdLife European Division. The main objectives
are:
- to
re-initiate
scientific work on the species in
Azerbaijan. Over the last
decades no surveys have
been conducted, and knowledge and
experience of
the CBG are disappearing. In spring 2002 GSG
member Siegfried Klaus Siegfried.Klaus@gmx.de was
appointed to train locals on field methods. Efforts will
continue.
- to start developing a
method based on remote sensing and GIS-analysis to create a
potential distribution map that covers all range countries.
Work has been started but further funding is needed to
continue.
- to develop conservation
strategies for the high mountain areas of the Caucasus with a
strong
focus on the CBG but also for other components of this
fragile ecosystem.
First plans are being
discussed by NABU to
extend the activities into other range
countries; in particular in cooperation with the BirdLife partners
in Georgia and Turkey. The GSG is not directly involved in these
activities. GSG and BirdLife/NABU however agreed that activities
on the CBG should be coordinated whenever possible.
Contacts: Michael
Brombacher, Elchin
Sultanov (see below)
Acknowledgement
The GSG thanks the World
Pheasant
Association for making it possible to invite scientists
from the CBG range to the IGS and the GSG´s CBG workshop in
China.
