Georgia Hosts Regional Consultation Forum of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund
Karlo Amirgulashvili, Head of the Forest Policy Department at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, attended the annual meeting of the Regional Consultation Forum held within the framework of the second phase of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund (ECF).
The forum is taking place in Tbilisi, bringing together representatives of state agencies from Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, as well as international organizations and environmental sector stakeholders.
"In recent months, Georgia's protected areas system has expanded to 14.6% of the country's territory, exceeding 1 million hectares. Within the framework of the project, landscape corridors connecting the Lesser Caucasus were successfully established in the municipalities of Adigeni, Khulo, and Shuakhevi. A total of 23 local community organizations were involved in this process, with the primary goal of protecting individual components of biodiversity both within protected areas and beyond their boundaries. The Eco-Corridors Program fully aligns with Georgia's national and international environmental commitments and will make an important contribution to biodiversity conservation and the implementation of climate change adaptation measures," said Karlo Amirgulashvili.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the results of the second phase of the Eco-Regional Corridors Program and discussed achievements for biodiversity conservation and local communities in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan resulting from the program's implementation. They also reviewed the main areas of activity and future plans of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund.
Special attention during the forum was devoted to the experience and prospects of implementing Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the South Caucasus countries, research findings in this field, and recommendations from international experts. Participants also discussed the eco-regional corridors planned for the third phase of the ECF, mechanisms to support the sustainability of existing and future community conservation areas, opportunities to promote their institutional recognition, and monitoring of ECF activities and their impact as an important tool for ensuring the program's long-term sustainability.
The Eco-Corridors Program aims to promote sustainable land use in selected ecological corridors across Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, strengthen ecological connectivity between protected areas, and conserve biodiversity. The program also provides long-term support for community-based natural resource management and contributes to improving the socio-economic conditions of local communities.
The Caucasus Eco-Corridors Program is implemented by the Caucasus Programme Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The program is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank, while consulting support is provided by GOPA Worldwide Consultants.
