WWF CAUCASUS STATES ITS POSITION ON THE BAKU-TBILISI-CHEYHAN PIPELINE
Since 2001, the WWF has been official information about the repeatedly confirming its position on the implementation of the requirements Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline’s Borjomi needed under Environmental Permit of section. The WWF is convinced that the November 30, 2002. In particular: threat to the environmental, social and economic future of the area is too great. a) Copy of a letter on fulfillment of each separate obligation taken by the BTC Co under the Therefore the WWF urged BP and major environmental permit for further submission to financing organizations to thoroughly Intersectoral Governmental Working Group for re-evaluate other possible routings Inspection of the Conditions (obligation of the MoE under the Order #403 of April 8, 2004 of the Prime- because the WWF does not agree with Minister) BP opinion that the route selected by b) Copy of a letter with conclusion on BP’s compliance with environmental permit, that Intersectoral the company has no alternative. Governmental Working Group for Inspection had to elaborate and submit to the Cabinet (obligation of the Unfortunately, there have been no Governmental Working Group under the Governmental Decree #13, April 3, 2004) significant changes in the above- c) Information on route alternatives (clause 9, sub mentioned process and the main clause “b” of the conditions) in revised rout report and requirements of the November 30, 2002 MoE’s written agreement that Borjomi Gorge section has no alternatives. Conditions of the Environmental Permit d) Copy of a letter or any other instrument (e.g., order, which clearly obliges BP to prove that official notice etc) that was issued in order to halt construction during two weeks presumably from July the Borjomi section has no alternatives 22, 2004. hasn’t yet been approved by the e) Copy of a letter or any other instrument (e.g., order, Georgian government; it is also worth official notice etc) that was issued in order to alter 2- mentioning here that this fact is not week halt on construction. widely known by the general public in Georgia nor abroad.
Therefore the WWF strongly believes that the Georgian government must use its right defined in the November 30, 2002, document (Item 9. sub-item “b” and “f” first part) and before any final approval of the draft route through the Borjomi section they should hold public discussions on the BTC “Up-dated Rout Report” about Tskhratskaro –Tsikhisjvari – Kodiana section and its alternative routing possibilities.
BTC pipeline/ Borjomi region/ WWF Caucasus Photo At the same time, the WWF thinks library/ L.Pataraia it would be appropriate if the Georgian authorities publicize, in the media, the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Kakha Tolordava Communications Officer WWF Caucasus Programme Office [email protected] CEPF AND WWF JOIN FORCES IN THE CAUCASUS
In June 2004, the Critical Ecosystem be able to reach these local people and Partnership Fund (CEPF) launched its organizations, and really make a regional programme in the Caucasus difference.” – said Giorgi Sanadiradze, focused on conserving the hotspot's 51 the WWF Caucasus director. globally threatened species. The five- year programme is intended for the The first deadline for the submission of following six countries of the Ecoregion project proposals is 30 September 2004. – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, All proposals submitted before that date Turkey and Iran. will be considered and reviewed in October and applicants will each The WWF Caucasus coordinated an respectively be informed about any intensive process to develop the CEPF decision by the end of October 2004. strategy, known as an ecosystem profile, for the Caucasus. This profiling drew participation from more than 130 experts representing scientific, governmental and nongovernmental groups from the six countries. The programme will act as the hub of the implementation of CEPF strategy in the region by ensuring the integration of the WWF and CEPF approach, by helping local groups develop grant proposals, and by disseminating information and assisting in the monitoring of the CEPF portfolio.
CEPF will award grants to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society groups which work to safeguard high-priority areas for conservation in the region, which spans the area between the Black and West Caucasian Tur / V. Lukarevsky 2003 Caspian seas.
“Big organizations are often allocating a FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Maka Bitsadze lot of money but grassroots Country Coordinator organizations are presently out of the WWF Caucasus Programme Office picture. The main thing that interests me [email protected] about the CEPF approach is that we will
CHILDREN IN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN DIG THE LEOPARD CONSERVATION PROJECT
The WWF CPO project “The lessons which lasted from the early Conservation of the Leopard in the morning till noon every day. The Eco- Caucasus Ecoregion” marks its third Camp proved to be extremely year in progress with its main goal of successful, interesting, informative and conserving the Pantera Pardus promising for its further implementation Ciscaucasica in its historical range by in other regions across the leopard establishing direct protection for the range in Armenia. leopard and its prey species by strengthening the management of existing protected areas, through the The same type of activities were held for improvement of the protected areas the children of the Ordubad, Lenkoran network in South Caucasus, including and Astarin regions in Azerbaijan. It the establishment of new protected hosted more than 70 children who were areas, the establishment of Anti- informed about the importance of the Poaching Units (APU), the leopard conservation and the WWF’s implementation of damage efforts in the region. Children compensation programs for local participated in contests for best picture farmers, and the development of and best leopard story, winners were education and awareness programs. awarded and all participants were given certificates and leopard T-shirts and
caps. The 36 month long project is financially supported by the WWF Switzerland and it incorporates a number of governmental and non-governmental partners and the finest experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia.
In August 8-17 2004, WWF Caucasus office in Armenia hosted an eco-camp located in the forest area near the town of Kapan. It involved 42 children and 5 teachers from six villages in Southern Armenia’s regions. The participants were the winners of the educational and small grants programme organized by Eco-camp in “Siuniki Gandzer” in Southern Armenia / WWF Caucasus Photo Library / K.Manvelian the WWF Caucasus earlier in October 2003. The programme consisting of eco- games, various contests and other FOR FURTHER INFORMATION engaging activities for the attending Nugzar Zazanashvili Conservation Director children which also included daily WWF Caucasus Programme Office [email protected]
REGIONAL MEETING ON WILD PLANTS MARKET ADVANCEMENT
On September 7-10 the WWF Caucasus office in Tbilisi hosted a workshop on a business plan elaboration, in connection with the WWF Caucasus/SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) joint project, “Promotion of Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plant Resources in the Caucasus Eco region.”
The project was launched in 2002 and is run, simultaneously, in three Caucasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – its aims are the promotion of community based model projects for the sustainable use of wild, medicinal plant resources. The workshop’s main objective was the revision and development of the existing business plan with emphasis placed on certification and marketing advancement possibilities both locally and internationally.
“At this stage, when all three cooperatives in Tsamakaberd (Armenia), (Topchu) Azerbaijan and Khviskheti (Georgia) have already come within reach of the production phase, scanning the marketing possibilities is of great importance for the success of the project” - said Zaza Gamtsemlidze, the regional coordinator.
The workshop was attended by all cooperative directors, coordinators and WWF Caucasus Photo Library / L.Pataraia, experts led by Mr. Udo Hirsch, an expert from CUNA GEORGICA, Georgian G. Bukhaidze / D. Kikodze Culture and Environment Support FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Society. Sopho Katsarava Country Coordinator WWF Caucasus Programme Office [email protected]
RED DEER RESTORATION IN THE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS
The Caucasian red deer is one of the Sanctuary, Zakatala and the Belokan most endangered wildlife species in the districts in Azerbaijan, including the Southern Caucasus and is listed in all evaluation and monitoring procedures in the national Red Books of the Caucasus Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and countries. WWF Caucasus has been the Borjomi State Nature reserve. involved with the monitoring of the Red Deer population in the Borjomi- On July 26-29 2004, Borjomi hosted a Kharagauli National Park (BKNP) which seminar on the red deer monitoring; the began 2000-2001, - a modest initiative seminar was attended by representatives that turned out to be the starting point of from the BKNP and Zakatala nature a far more ambitious cross border reserves. It was the first case of experience conservation effort, with the long-term sharing between the staff of the objective of restoring Azerbaijanian and Georgian protected areas after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
As a result, Zakatala and Lagodekhi representatives agreed on many things: to test the monitoring system designed for BKNP, to launch an elaboration of the management plan for Zakatala reserve in September 2004, to consider implementation of the more effective Azeri approach to preventing poaching to be implemented in Georgia, and to Meeting in Borjomi / WWF Caucasus Photo Library discuss the possibilities of animal
translocation from Zakatala to Borjomi. the red deer population in the entire The same workshop triggered the ecoregion. beginning of some technical support for
the Zakatala nature reserve that Nearly two years into the project includes the rehabilitation of the old “Conservation and Restoration of the shelters and the construction of new Red Deer in the Southern Caucasus” shelters in the reserve. the WWF Caucasus has managed to involve a wide spectrum of players in the project, ranging from governmental FOR FURTHER INFORMATION organisations and NGOs to experts and Nugzar Zazanashvili local communities. By September 2004, Conservation Director WWF Caucasus Programme Office the WWF Caucasus and its partners [email protected] have concluded their survey on the red deer population in the Gardabani
NEWS IN BRIEF
• WWF International, with active participation of the WWF Caucasus, prepared and submitted a large scale project proposal to the European Commission (EC) for EC Forest Programme. It is a Caucasian project that covers the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and includes two long-term (3-4 years) projects: a) on Illegal Logging and b) on the development of the High Conservation Value Forests (HVCF) in the Caucasus.
• In the first half of 2004 the WWF Caucasus participated in the preparation of the NGO joint letter to the Government of Georgia - opposing the Government's intention to totally privatize the country's forests.
• WWF Caucasus is in the process of preparing a case study on the effectiveness of management assessment of the protected areas in Georgia using the WWF’s RAPPAM methodology. The case study was prepared on the basis of the Rapid Assessment of Prioritization of Protected Areas Management Systems (RAPPAM) National Participatory Workshop held in 2003 (Bakuriani, Georgia). This publication will be ready in mid October this year and will be available through the network.
• WWF Caucasus is finalizing a report on the HCVF case study for the Caucasus Ecoregion within the framework of the World Bank/WWF Alliance project”Support for the Eco-regional planning process by introducing the concept of High Conservation value Forests to the Caucasus, through its implementation at priority landscapes of Colchic Forests in NE Turkey and SW Georgia". The report in its final form will be ready in September this year and will be available through the network.
• WWF Caucasus prepared and submitted proposals to WWF International for World Bank/WWF Alliance fiscal year 2005. These proposals include the following issues: a) forest restoration, a) illegal logging and b) HVCF. Financing circumstances will not become evident until January, 2005.
• WWF Caucasus prepared and submitted a project proposal for the Small Grants Fund for Forested Protected Areas (4th round, 2004) within the framework of the Forests for Life’s Protected Areas Initiative. The proposal is aimed at the extension of strictly protected forests (IUCN Cat. I-IV) in the Caucasus Ecoregion by 20,000ha. The provisional implementation period for this is January-June 2005. Any approval/disapproval of the proposal is expected in December 31, 2005.
• WWF Caucasus has accomplished the Organizational Assessment process that started in March 2004. The main goal of the process was to identify the organizational capacity’s strengths and weaknesses and to develop an action plan for addressing the strategic capacity development needs. The entire process was undertaken by the OA team and WWF Caucasus staff, including the offices in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Prepared by WWF Caucasus Programme Office
Aleksidze str.11 01 93 Tbilisi, Georgia
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