CEPF's investment in the Caucasus Biodiversity Hotspot was guided by the following strategic directions as outlined in the ecosystem profile.

  1. Support civil society efforts to promote transboundary cooperation and improve protected area systems in five target corridors.
     
    • 1.1 Promote transboundary cooperation by carrying out joint initiatives and harmonizing existing projects to conserve border ecosystems and species and site outcomes.
       
    • 1.2 Support existing efforts to create new protected areas and wildlife corridors through planning processes and co-financing efforts.
       
    • 1.3 Develop and implement management plans for model protected areas with broad participation of stakeholders.
       
  2. Strengthen mechanisms to conserve biodiversity of the Caucasus Hotspot with emphasis on species, site and corridor outcomes.
     
    • 2.1 Provide funding for research and implementation of the Caucasus Red List re-assessments, particularly for poorly represented taxas such as plants, invertebrates, reptiles and fish.
       
    • 2.2 Under one CEPF/Small Grant mechanism, focus small grant efforts on supporting efforts to conserve 50 globally threatened species in the hotspot.
       
    • 2.3 Provide support to conservation agencies specifically to improve implementation of international conventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
       
  3. Implement models demonstrating sustainable resource use in five target corridors.
     
    • 3.1 Evaluate and implement models for sustainable forestry, water use and range management.
       
    • 3.2 Under one CEPF/Small Grant mechanism, focus small grant efforts on supporting existing nongovernmental organizations to undertake projects focused on developing alternative livelihoods, such as ecotourism, collection of non-timber forest products and sustainable hunting and fishing.
       
    • 3.3 Support civil society efforts to mitigate, participate in and monitor development projects.
       
  4. Increase the awareness and commitment of decision makers to biodiversity conservation in five target corridors.
     
    • 4.1 Develop local capacity to train environmental journalists and develop incentives to write on environmental issues, targeting decision makers in particular.
       
    • 4.2 Develop a communications campaign to increase environmental awareness in the Caucasus Hotspot.
       

Read more about CEPF's strategy in the hotspot in our ecosystem profile (PDF - 3.5 MB), also available in Russian (PDF - 4.8 MB).