found. PleasedonatetohelpusmaintainprotectionthroughKeepers oftheWild. some oftheworld’s mostthreatenedspeciesandtheincrediblehabitats inwhichtheyare the helpofWLT safeguarding supporters.Theyworkonthefrontlineofconservation, Keepers oftheWild, fundedbyWLT, createdwith protectandrecordwildlifeonreserves World charity: is aregistered Trust No. Land 1001291 we havesnowupto40cmdeep”,saysGor. temperatures sometimesover35°C.Inwinter with hotanddry extreme. Summersarevery (2,000 hectares)andtemperaturescanbe Wildlife Refuge. and CulturalAssets(FPWC),workinginthe ofWildlifeFoundation forthePreservation WLT’s partnerinArmenia,the conservation of theWild programme.Heisemployedby wildlife rangerssupportedbyWLT’s Keepers Gor Hovhannisyan(right)isoneofthe for Armenia’spreciouswildlife Help ussave habitat andprotect Follow World onsocialmedia Trust Land “We patrolmorethan4,900acres Email: [email protected] Tel: +44(0)1986874422 Suffolk IP198ABUK Halesworth, Blyth House,BridgeSt, World LandTrust, Bebber (meadow);Backpage:David(KeeperoftheWild),Bebber (meadow);Backpage:David(KeeperoftheWild), EllieKurttz(SirDavidAttenboroough) EllieKurttz(SirDavidAttenboroough) Cover &page2:Misad/Dreamstime.com;Pages23:FPWC(Lammergeier, Bezoar, leopardandbear),David support thansupport World Trust.” Land of saving ecosystems for wildlife Iknow ofnobetter charity to watch them becomeextinct. Let uschoose the first route. Interms the -itiswithin handofmankind ourpower to protect them or fate ofthe“The creatures which shareourplanet liesentirely at worldlandtrust.org/keepers-of-the-wild Sir David Attenborough, Patron, OMCH FRS, World Trust Land with morethan700,000acressaved todate. and threatened habitats, biologically important most world’s charity,international conservation the whichprotects Saving land,saving species.World isan Trust Land

rne t qoe n eie abn aacd Paper. Balanced Carbon carbonbalancedpaper.com Revive on quote to printer protection projects atthesametime.Askyour communications and supportWLT’s land the carbonimpact of thepaperusedforyour Media, whichoffers asimplewaytoreduce Balanced PapersuppliedbyDenmaur Paper WLT publicationsareprinted onReviveCarbon worldlandtrust.org

Designed by wearedrab.co.uk 1018 Armenia Caucasus WildlifeRefuge Armenia: Protecting habitat for Armenia’s Why the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge threatened wildlife is so important

Situated in the southern Caucasian mountain range, Trail camera footage taken in Armenia is home to some exceptionally important species. the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge Among them are several large including Syrian Brown , Bezoar Ibex and Caucasian Leopard. The Caucasian Leopard, also known as the The Caucasus is one of the world’s lesser-known biodiversity Persian Leopard, is the largest subspecies of hotspots: one of the 25 regions which together cover only 1.4 leopard and believed to number fewer than per cent of the Earth’s land surface yet contain nearly half of 1,300 left in the wild. In Armenia all plant species and a third of all terrestrial vertebrate species. there are thought to be up to 15 individuals. Natural habitats survive in the Caucasus but they are under The Syrian is a rare subspecies immense pressure from overgrazing by domestic livestock. of the Brown Bear. There are as few as 150 left Uncontrolled hunting is also rife, as are human-induced wild in the wild in Armenia. fi res, and much of the wildlife is considered endangered. World Land Trust (WLT) has been supporting Armenian FPWC welcomes visitors to project partner, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and its Eco-Centre Cultural Assets (FPWC) since 2010 and has helped fund the lease and protection of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge (CWR), The.. Eco-Centre in the refuge not only provides which adjoins the 72,000 acre (29,000 hectare) Khosrov accommodation for visitors but also serves as Forest State Reserve, and acts as a corridor for wildlife. a hub for researchers and scientists. Training The CWR itself protects 24,000 acres (10,000 hectares) and is also available for communities, aimed at while in 2010 wildlife in the area was nearly non-existent – sustainable use of the area’s unique natural mainly due to illegal hunting activities – trail camera footage resources. The centre is perfectly located to now records large numbers of Bezoar Goats as well as large see nesting Lammergeiers and Bezoar Goats. predators including , , lynx and even Caucasian Leopard. The refuge also protects all four species of vulture found in Armenia - Eurasian Black Vulture, Lammergeier, Botanical signifi cance of Griffon Vulture and Egyptian Vulture. the refuge The Caucasus region is one of the most Armenia is a landlocked country, beautiful, and botanically as well as spanning the border between Europe ethnobotanically important regions on Earth. and Asia. It lies within the Southern It is synonymous with wild edible plant origins Caucasus and is important for migratory and most orchard fruit trees such as almonds, animals, with roughly 350 bird species walnuts, pomegranate, plum, apples and pears, recorded in the country. Research can be found growing in the wild. Three of suggests that a quarter of the the four wild ancestors of wheat originate here species in Armenia are internationally along with a wide range of herbaceous species. The fl ora of this region is exceptional endangered. It is thought that Armenia was the origin of and many of the plants are used for cultivation of grapes, leading to the production medicinal and culinary purposes. Location of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge of the world’s fi rst wine and grapes have an The meadows are reminiscent of the important place in Armenia’s history. herbal hillsides of Provence worldlandtrust.org