Ecosystem Services in Azerbaijan: Value and Losses

This book aims to draw readers’ attention to the values that were once owned by Azerbaijani nature. Over the past hundred years, these values have been lost because of the neglect of the intrinsic values of nature by both managers and local authorities, and the use of natural resources mostly for monetary benefits. For example, oil pollution and overfishing in the Caspian Sea have almost destroyed its valuable fish and caviar resources. Therefore, in this book, for the first time, the authors distinguish between the concepts of “gain” and “income” and show readers that short-term benefits based solely on monetary income deprive people and nature itself of long-term, lasting gains. The book provides readers with real historical information, discusses the interactions and benefits between humans and nature, and shows, with real data and trends, the consequences of anthropogenic activity on natural resources in Azerbaijan. The authors cover fish, water, forest, mountain, and pasture ecosystem services, impacts that pollution and other forms of environmental degradation have had on these resources, and the impacts that these have on people’s livelihoods. The book is intended primarily for managers, policymakers, students, and academics, and will be of interest to natural scientists, historians, and culturologists.