Georgia hosts regional forum on Caucasus Eco-Corridors program

Head of the Forest Policy Department at Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Karlo Amirgulashvili, attended the annual meeting of the Regional Consultative Forum held under the second phase of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund (ECF) program, Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture reported.

The forum, hosted in Tbilisi, brings together representatives of government agencies, international organizations, and environmental institutions from Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

According to Amirgulashvili, Georgia’s protected areas system has expanded to 14.6% of the country’s territory in recent months, surpassing one million hectares.

“Within the framework of the program, ecological connecting landscapes have been successfully established in the municipalities of Adigeni, Khulo, and Shuakhevi. Twenty-three local community organizations have been involved in the process, with the primary goal of protecting biodiversity both within and beyond protected areas. The Eco-Corridors Program fully aligns with Georgia’s national and international environmental commitments and will make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation,” he said.

Participants reviewed the results of the second phase of the Eco-Regional Corridors Program and discussed its impact on biodiversity conservation and local communities in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. They also examined the main areas of the Caucasus Eco-Corridors Fund’s work and its future plans.

The forum also focused on the implementation of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the South Caucasus, including research findings, international expert recommendations, and preparations for the third phase of the ECF program. Discussions covered mechanisms to support the sustainability of existing and future community conservation areas, promote their institutional recognition, and strengthen monitoring of ECF activities as a key 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, conserve biodiversity, support community-based natural resource management, and improve the socio-economic conditions of local communities.

The Caucasus Eco-Corridors Program is implemented by the WWF Caucasus Programme Office. It is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, with consulting support provided by GOPA Worldwide Consultants, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.