Caucasus 

The Caucasus biodiversity hotspot spans 500,000 square kilometers of mountains in Eurasia between the Black and Caspian seas, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and small parts of Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Its deserts, savannas, swamp forests and arid woodlands are home to more than twice the animal diversity found in adjacent regions of Europe and Asia. The hotspot boasts 6,500 species of vascular plants, a quarter of which are found nowhere else.

The Caucasus Hotspot is also a globally significant center of cultural diversity, where a multitude of ethnic groups, languages and religions intermingle over a relatively small area. Indeed, humans have inhabited the Caucasus for millennia. Legions of rulers and government regimes have vied for control of the region and its rich natural and cultural resources. About 27 percent of the area remains as natural habitat but only about 12 percent of the original vegetation is considered pristine.

Our investment focuses on five major landscapes covering 14.2 million hectares of this biologically rich region.

Our investment in the Caucasus Hotspot began in August 2003. Based an on ecosystem profile developed with stakeholders, our support to civil society conservation efforts in this region focuses on five landscapes.

These landscapes -- the Caspian, East Lesser Caucasus, Greater Caucasus, West Lesser Caucasus and Hyrcan biodiversity conservation corridors -- represent all major habitats in the hotspot and shelter 90 percent of the region’s globally threatened species.

They also provide unprecedented opportunities for promoting trans-boundary cooperation. Each one crosses the boundaries of two or more of the six countries in this hotspot.

Investments are targeted to conserve the hotspot's globally threatened species, most of which are found in specific sites within these corridors. We also focus on addressing the socioeconomic, political and institutional root causes of threats to biodiversity, which include overgrazing, poaching, illegal logging, fuel wood harvesting, overfishing and infrastructure development.

Four strategic directions guide our approach:

1. Support civil society efforts to promote trans-boundary cooperation and improve protected area systems in five target corridors.
2. Strengthen mechanisms to conserve biodiversity of the Caucasus Hotspot with emphasis on species, site and corridor outcomes.
3. Implement models demonstrating sustainable resource use in five target corridors.
4. Increase the awareness and commitment of decisionmakers to biodiversity. conservation in five target corridors.

Biodiversity Conservation Corridors