The Caucasus hotspot contains globally important reserves of biodiversity. To ensure conservation of this diversity, 10 priority corridor outcomes for the Caucasus were identified that contain the bulk of the globally threatened species and intact habitats in the region. Five of these corridors-Greater Caucasus, West Lesser Caucasus, East Lesser Caucasus, Caspian and Hyrcan, all of which span the borders of two of more countries-will be the focus of CEPF investment. Governmental institutions in the six countries in the hotspot support biodiversity conservation and have signed important international environmental conventions, yet most lack the funding and expertise to uphold environmental mandates. Civil society, including environmental NGOs, universities and scientific institutes, is relatively well developed in the region and has the potential to help fill these gaps.
Proximate threats such as poaching, overfishing, illegal logging and overgrazing are causing irreversible damage to biodiversity in the hotspot. Threats stem from economic and social problems, the lack of environmental awareness, poor management and enforcement capabilities and the lack of transboundary cooperation. International donors have provided considerable support to help resolve some of these issues. Yet funding opportunities exist in many of the corridors identified in this profile, particularly in promoting transboundary cooperation, training conservation professionals, building environmental awareness and demonstrating the benefits of sustainable resource use.
CEPF's strategy for the Caucasus hotspot should help to mitigate specific threats and their root causes in five target biodiversity corridors, while focusing on programs that will have the most impact given limited funds.
With CEPF support, the conservation community can achieve important milestones toward safeguarding globally threatened species and unique ecosystems by helping to prevent species extinctions and habitat loss in one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth.
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