The ecosystem profile and five-year investment strategy for the Caucasus Region was developed based on stakeholder workshops and background reports coordinated by the WWF Caucasus Programme Office (WWF Caucasus). More than 130 experts from the six countries participated in preparation of the Caucasus ecosystem profile representing a variety of scientific, governmental and nongovernmental organizations. During the six months of the project, data on biodiversity, socioeconomic factors, institutional context and conservation efforts from six countries were compiled and synthesized. Two stakeholder workshops were held in November 2002 and January 2003 to allow broad input from the conservation community and to formulate and approve the niche and investment strategies proposed for CEPF in the region. The workshops helped people from six countries to reach a consensus in this politically complicated region. They also generated commitment from all stakeholders for implementation of proposed directions.
This ecosystem profile, together with profiles under development for CEPF in other regions at this time, includes a new commitment and emphasis on using conservation outcomes-targets against which the success of investments can be measured-as the scientific underpinning for determining CEPF's geographic and thematic focus for investment. Conservation outcomes are the full set of quantitative and justifiable conservation targets in a hotspot that need to be achieved in order to prevent biodiversity loss. These targets are defined at three levels: species (extinctions avoided), sites (areas protected) and landscapes (corridors created). As conservation in the field succeeds in achieving these targets, these targets become demonstrable results or outcomes. While CEPF cannot achieve all of the outcomes identified for a region on its own, the partnership is trying to ensure that its conservation investments are working toward preventing biodiversity loss and that its success can be monitored and measured.
Species, site and corridor outcomes for the Caucasus were defined in cooperation with scientists at CI's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS). Based on the results of these analyses, experts identified 10 corridors that encompass the vast majority of outcomes defined for the Caucasus hotspot.
In parallel to this work, WWF coordinated the development of a long-term vision for conservation of the Caucasus Ecoregion. About 60 priority areas for achieving the vision were identified based on biological and socioeconomic analyses and identification of focal species, processes and habitats. Corridors and CEPF strategies for this profile were determined taking into account the conservation vision and identified priority areas, the conservation site outcomes determined for 51 globally threatened species and the existing network of protected areas in the region.
WWF Caucasus prepared this profile in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation, the German Bank for Reconstruction and Development (KfW) and BirdLife International. The Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation Union of Armenia, CABS, the Center for Sustainable Development of Iran, the Ecological Union of Azerbaijan and AHT International provided technical support.
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