Georgia hosts the Regional Consultative Forum for the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund (ECF) program

 
The Head of the Forest Policy Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili, participated in the Annual Meeting of the Regional Consultative Forum held under Phase II of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund (ECF). The forum is being held in Tbilisi, bringing together representatives of government institutions, international organizations, and environmental stakeholders from Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. 

In his remarks, Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili emphasized the country's recent progress in expanding its network of protected areas.

"In recent months, Georgia's protected areas have expanded to 14.6% of the country's total territory, exceeding one million hectares. Under the project, ecological connecting landscapes linking the Lesser Caucasus were successfully established across the municipalities of Adigeni, Khulo, and Shuakhevi. The initiative has actively engaged 23 local community organizations, supporting their efforts to conserve individual components of biodiversity within protected areas and surrounding landscapes. The Eco-Corridors Programme is fully aligned with Georgia's national and international environmental commitments and will contribute to biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation measures", stated Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili.

Participants reviewed the results achieved under the second phase of the Eco-Regional Corridors Programme and discussed its contribution to biodiversity conservation and the benefits delivered to local communities across Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. They also examined the principal areas of activity of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund and its strategic priorities for the coming years.

During the Forum, the parties focused on the experience and prospects for implementing Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) across the South Caucasus, including the findings of recent studies and recommendations presented by international experts.

Moreover, the discussions also embraced the eco-regional corridors identified for Phase III of the ECF, mechanisms to strengthen the sustainability of existing and future community conservation areas, approaches to supporting their institutional recognition, and the monitoring of ECF activities and their impact as a key instrument for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the programme.

The Eco-Corridors Programme aims to promote sustainable land use within selected ecological corridors in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, strengthen ecological connectivity between protected areas, and conserve biodiversity. The programme also provides long-term support for community-based natural resource management, contributing to improved socio-economic conditions for local communities.

The Caucasus Eco-Corridors Programme is implemented by the WWF Caucasus Programme Office and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, while GOPA Worldwide Consultants provides technical and advisory support for the project.