Investments in biodiversity conservation in the Caucasus hotspot come from national governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies and international and regional NGOs. The following summary is not an exhaustive list of organizations and projects in the region, but is only meant to assist in determining funding gaps and opportunities in the hotspot. Table 3 depicts major investment projects underway and funding opportunities in corridors.
Each of the national governments in the Caucasus has developed or is in the process of developing a national strategy and action plan for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity as part of international obligations under the Convention on Biodiversity. Environmental policies and legislation are in place in all the countries. Though regional governments allocate funds for protected areas operations and environmental programs, funding for implementation of action plans and programs is scarce. Recommended CEPF investment is coherent with the national strategies envisioned by each of the countries in the Caucasus.
The Russian Government spent more than $13 million on nature conservation in the North Caucasus in 2002, four times more than in 2000. Russia also committed significant funds toward developing a strategy for sustainable development in the mountains of the Adygeya Republic. The Georgian Government recently made a commitment to preserve 15 percent of the country's forests in protected areas (IUCN I-IV) as part of WWF's Gifts to the Earth initiative. The Government of Azerbaijan contributed $1 million to creation of the Shakhdag National Park. The government is developing a program for protection and expansion of forests and for environmentally sustainable socioeconomic development. In the framework of the Caspian Environment Program, the Azerbaijan government is developing a national Caspian Action Plan. The Ministry of Nature Protection in Armenia carried out several projects with support of the GEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on combating desertification, climate change and building capacity for implementing the Convention on Biodiversity. The Ministry developed an action plan for Lake Sevan, as well as forest and biodiversity conservation strategies. The Turkish Government has supported biodiversity and natural resource management in the Turkish Caucasus. The Department of Environment in Iran carried out several biological assessment projects in the Caucasus, including in the Ghorigol wetlands, as well as studies of rare flora and fauna in the Caucasus region. In 1995, the Iranian government funded a study and management plan for the Sabalan protected area.
Among bilateral and multilateral donors in the Caucasus, GEF is one of the most active. GEF has invested substantial funds in protected areas and promoting environmental education and ecotourism in the North Caucasus, as well as expanding the protected areas system in Georgia. GEF funded species conservation projects on the European bison, East Caucasian tur and chamois. In Turkey, GEF is building capacity for resource management planning, protected areas management and conservation of threatened fauna species. GEF funded two UNDP implemented projects worth over two million dollars on improving environmental management in the Black Sea Region. GEF funded UNDP implemented capacity building activities in the Ministry of Environment in Georgia and in Armenia and on preventing transboundary pollution in the Kura-Araks basin.
The European Union's Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States (EU-TACIS) supported an environmental program on the Black Sea ($5.5 million), as well as projects on improving nature conservation policy and environmental awareness in the region.
The Germany Ministry for Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has supported a project on erosion control in Turkey. The German government funded development of a vision for biodiversity conservation in the Caucasus Ecoregion that also served as a foundation for defining CEPF's proposed investments and will support implementation of selected projects under the Caucasus Initiative of the Government of Germany. The German Bank for Reconstruction and Development (KfW) is funding a $10 million project in Georgia to create the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and develop communal infrastructure in its support zone.
The Swiss government, in partnership with the World Bank, is financing a Tourism Initiative project for South Caucasus and a WWF project on sustainable use of medicinal plants.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invested $1.6 million to build disaster management capabilities and $2.3 million on sustainable resource management in Georgia. UNDP is also funding a program on rural development in the Turkish Caucasus.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is actively supporting building environmental awareness in the Caucasus. In the Russian Caucasus, USAID funded projects on promoting environmental education and ecotourism through nature reserves, the mass media and children's camps through the Institute for Sustainable Communities. USAID invested over $6 million in improving water management in the southern Caucasus. The Swiss Government, World Bank, EU and UNDP also contributed funds for that project.
The World Bank provided a $15 million loan to Georgia for establishing sound forest management systems. The World Bank also supported projects in Armenia on natural resources management and poverty reduction, in Azerbaijan on boosting sturgeon populations and creating a national park and on assessing forests on the Turkish-Georgian border. The World Bank/GEF is funding a large-scale protected areas development project in Georgia ($8.7 million), aiming to establish two new national parks and expand existing reserves, as well as provide assistance to the state department of protected areas. The World Bank/GEF is also supporting the creation of a national park in the Kolkheti Lowlands ($2.5 million).
A number of international NGOs and foundations are active in the Caucasus. The Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (ISAR) provides small grants for various environmental projects in the Russian Caucasus, including on promoting environmental awareness through the mass media and working with children, collecting information on impacts of military conflicts on the environment and assessing the state of fish populations in southern Russia. IUCN financed an assessment of biological and landscape diversity in the North Caucasus.
The Eurasia Foundation has contributed to rural development and poverty reduction projects in the region. The MacArthur Foundation actively supports civil society in the Caucasus. MacArthur supported creation of the Ecoregional Biodiversity Consultation Council for the Caucasus Ecoregion, as a follow up to its project with WWF on elaborating a portfolio for conserving the region's biodiversity. This portfolio served as a backdrop for deriving CEPF's investment priorities in the Caucasus. MacArthur also financed a conference on threats to the Caspian, as well as work to understand issues related to the changing level of the Azov Sea.
WWF has been working in the Caucasus for more than 10 years through its WWF Georgia (now WWF Caucasus), WWF Turkey and WWF Russia offices. WWF's projects are mainly related to creation of protected areas and improving management of existing reserves, developing ecotourism, promoting environmental education and environmentally sound policies and conserving endangered species.
Most of the regional NGOs rely on international donors to support their programs. NGO capacity is limited in rural areas where corridors have been delineated.
The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) operates with core support from the EU and funding from Switzerland, the United States and other countries. REC assists Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in solving environmental problems, supports building civil society, promotes public participation in the decisionmaking process and helps develop the free exchange of information.
In Georgia, the Noah's Ark Center for Recovery of Endangered Species (NACRES) is one of the more active local NGOs. NACRES implements projects on research and monitoring of large carnivores and on protected areas. The Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife (GCCW) carries out projects on environmental awareness and studies of migratory birds and raptors, among others. The Sacred Earth Network provided funding through the GCCW to support the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN).
Today, CENN is an active nongovernmental organization that acts as a voluntary effort to foster regional cooperation by means of improving communication among environmental organizations of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Most projects run by NGOs in Armenia and Azerbaijan are funded by international donors, such as the GEF, TACIS and USAID. The "Chevre" NGO in Azerbaijan promotes sustainable development and conservation of the southeastern Caucasus.
Investments in biodiversity from the business sector are relatively rare, but precedents have been made. British Petroleum supported conservation of floodplain forests in the upper Kura River (Tugai Forests) in Azerbaijan ($250,000), in addition to actions for conservation of Javakheti wetlands through NACRES in Georgia. The British Petroleum funds projects of GCCW and NACRES in Georgia.
Funding is required to complement investments of governmental and international conservation organizations and to ensure overall effectiveness of conservation efforts. Supporting civil society in improving protected areas systems, for example, would complement existing governmental plans on expanding protected area networks. Projects on building environmental awareness will complement ongoing NGO programs in that field throughout the hotspot. Funding for promoting transboundary cooperation will build on region-wide projects by the GEF, World Bank and others by creating an institutional basis for cooperation between the Caucasus countries. Funding for monitoring and conservation of globally threatened species will further conservation efforts of NGOs, protected areas and scientific institutions in corridors.
Opportunities differ from corridor to corridor. Protected areas systems consisting of strict nature reserves are well developed in the Greater Caucasus and West Lesser Caucasus corridors, where efforts are needed to connect existing reserves with wildlife corridors. Protected areas in the Caspian, East Lesser Caucasus and Hyrcan corridors are mostly sanctuaries with low protected status and require strengthening. Support for promoting transboundary cooperation is needed in all five corridors. Nearly all corridors require funding for increasing public awareness and support from decisionmakers for biodiversity conservation in the region. Support for introducing sustainable means of resource use and promoting alternative livelihoods in local communities is virtually non-existent in all corridors.
Previous: Synopsis of Current Threats / Next: CEPF Niche for Investment