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The Khazar University Environmental Research Center was created in 2007 for the purpose of conducting research focused on environmental problems of importance to Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian regions.  The Center is dedicated to providing objective scientific information for protection, restoration and sustainable use of the natural resources of the target region. Studies and research efforts have been mainly directed at river restoration, environmental management, disaster risk reduction, flood management, and climate changes.

 

Educational Projects:

 

1. 1.      2009-2010: Curricula Development Project: “Environmental Security and Resource Management in the Caspian Region.” Course Development Competition Grant of the Central European University, Hungary.

The new course “Environmental Security and Resource management in the Caspian Region” has been designed. This is a regional inter-disciplinary course taught in Khazar University (Azerbaijan) and Eurasian National University (Kazakhstan) simultaneously. The course provides an overview of the key concepts and principles in environmental management and security, areas of global and regional environmental concern, and strategies and tools for effective environmental management.

 

1. 2.      2008: Curricula Development Project: “Environmental Management.” Grant of the Central European University, Hungary.

The Environmental Management course (EM) is an introduction to the biophysical, community, and institutional components of comprehensive environmental management. This course emphasizes processes, both natural and social, that control the quality and quantity of natural resources.

 

1. 2007: Junior Faculty Development Project (JFDP) project on development of a Caspian Sea Environmental Studies curriculum. Grant of the Democracy Commission, USA. As a result of the project, various curricula samples were developed. A variety of ideas and approaches to teach school children are given in these curricula samples. All of the developed curricula models were printed in the form of compact brochures (attached) in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. These brochures were sent to 150 schools and libraries of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. These materials address the problem of scarcity of educational resources in the schools of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and can be used over a long-term period.  Because school education is an optimum time to increase public awareness, development of resources for these grade levels is very important.  Moreover, these materials can serve as models for developing more curricula dealing with various ecological and social problems of Caspian nations in the future.

 

Research projects:

 

1. 2010-2011: Forecasting of future level changes of the Caspian Sea. Funded by Fulbright Fellowship, USA

2. 2010: Indexing of environmental vulnerability of mountain streams of Azerbaijan. Funded by German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD.

3. 2009: Introducing environmental thresholds into water withdrawal management in small streams of the Kura basin, Azerbaijan. Funded by Junior Faculty Development Program, USA

4. 2008: Environmental challenges of the Caspian Sea and future options for the best management practices. Funded by International Lake Environmental Committee, Japan

5. 2008: Analysis of non climatic origins of floods in the downstream part of the Kura River, Azerbaijan. Core funds of Khazar University.

Head of Center – Rovshan Abbasov, PhD in Hydrology and Water Management (Saint Petersburg, Russia)