Scholarly record

HABITAT VULNERABILITY< ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND LANDSCAPE RESILIENCE IN A SMALL TRANSBOUNDARY BLACK SEA CHOROKHI RIVER DELTA GEORGIA (SAQARTVELO)

Marina Shainidze, Guguli Dumbadze, Kadir Seyhan, Yahya Terzi, Izolda Matchutadze

Abstract

The transboundary Chorokhi River Valley, extending from the upper mountainous catchments of northeastern Turkey to the deltaic plains of Georgia, represents one of the most ecologically diverse corridors in the eastern Black Sea Basin. This landscape integrates wetlands, river meanders, mixed and broad-leaved forests, agroforestry systems, and coastal dunes that together sustain high biodiversity and essential ecological processes of the Colchic biogeographical province. An integrated landscape–ecological approach was applied, combining field surveys, geospatial habitat mapping, and ecosystem service assessment. The classification followed the EUNIS typology, while ecosystem functionality and service provision were analyzed under the MAES framework. This approach enabled the identification of vulnerable habitats and the evaluation of their ecological performance. The results demonstrate that the Chorokhi Valley functions as a dynamic ecological network maintaining biodiversity and regulating environmental processes across national borders. Its habitats provide multiple ecosystem services: supporting (nutrient cycling, soil formation), regulating (carbon sequestration, hydrological balance, erosion control, air and water purification), provisioning (freshwater, forage, medicinal plants), and cultural (biodiversity corridors, education, recreation, aesthetic value). The study highlights the ecological and socio-economic importance of this transboundary system and supports sustainable management within the EU-funded project BSB00559 CARE SEA – “Cooperation and Awareness for a Pollution-Free and Environmentally Sustainable Black Sea”, contributing to the Interreg NEXT Programme Priority: Clean and Green Region.

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