WWF CAUCASUS STATES ITS POSITION ON THE BAKU-TBILISI-CHEYHAN PIPELINE

Transcription

1

2 WWF CAUCASUS STATES ITS POSITION ON THE BAKU-TBILISI-CHEYHAN PIPELINE Since 2001, the WWF has been repeatedly confirming its position on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline s Borjomi section. The WWF is convinced that the threat to the environmental, social and economic future of the area is too great. Therefore the WWF urged BP and major financing organizations to thoroughly re-evaluate other possible routings because the WWF does not agree with BP opinion that the route selected by the company has no alternative. Unfortunately, there have been no significant changes in the abovementioned process and the main requirements of the November 30, 2002 Conditions of the Environmental Permit which clearly obliges BP to prove that the Borjomi section has no alternatives hasn t yet been approved by the Georgian government; it is also worth mentioning here that this fact is not widely known by the general public in Georgia nor abroad. official information about the implementation of the requirements needed under Environmental Permit of November 30, In particular: a) Copy of a letter on fulfillment of each separate obligation taken by the BTC Co under the environmental permit for further submission to Intersectoral Governmental Working Group for Inspection of the Conditions (obligation of the MoE under the Order #403 of April 8, 2004 of the Prime- Minister) b) Copy of a letter with conclusion on BP s compliance with environmental permit, that Intersectoral Governmental Working Group for Inspection had to elaborate and submit to the Cabinet (obligation of the Governmental Working Group under the Governmental Decree #13, April 3, 2004) c) Information on route alternatives (clause 9, sub clause b of the conditions) in revised rout report and MoE s written agreement that Borjomi Gorge section has no alternatives. d) Copy of a letter or any other instrument (e.g., order, official notice etc) that was issued in order to halt construction during two weeks presumably from July 22, e) Copy of a letter or any other instrument (e.g., order, official notice etc) that was issued in order to alter 2- week halt on construction. 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. At the same time, the WWF thinks it would be appropriate if the Georgian authorities publicize, in the media, the BTC pipeline/ Borjomi region/ WWF Caucasus Photo library/ L.Pataraia Kakha Tolordava Communications Officer ktolordava@wwfcaucasus.ge

3 CEPF AND WWF JOIN FORCES IN THE CAUCASUS In June 2004, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) launched its regional programme in the Caucasus focused on conserving the hotspot's 51 globally threatened species. The fiveyear programme is intended for the following six countries of the Ecoregion Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Iran. The WWF Caucasus coordinated an intensive process to develop the CEPF 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 Caspian seas. Big organizations are often allocating a lot of money but grassroots organizations are presently out of the picture. The main thing that interests me about the CEPF approach is that we will be able to reach these local people and organizations, and really make a difference. said Giorgi Sanadiradze, the WWF Caucasus director. The first deadline for the submission of project proposals is 30 September All proposals submitted before that date will be considered and reviewed in October and applicants will each respectively be informed about any decision by the end of October West Caucasian Tur / V. Lukarevsky 2003 Maka Bitsadze Country Coordinator mbitsadze@wwfcaucasus.ge

4 CHILDREN IN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN DIG THE LEOPARD CONSERVATION PROJECT The WWF CPO project The Conservation of the Leopard in the Caucasus Ecoregion marks its third year in progress with its main goal of conserving the Pantera Pardus Ciscaucasica in its historical range by establishing direct protection for the leopard and its prey species by strengthening the management of existing protected areas, through the improvement of the protected areas network in South Caucasus, including the establishment of new protected areas, the establishment of Anti- Poaching Units (APU), the implementation of damage compensation programs for local farmers, and the development of education and awareness programs. 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. lessons which lasted from the early morning till noon every day. The Eco- Camp proved to be extremely successful, interesting, informative and promising for its further implementation in other regions across the leopard range in Armenia. The same type of activities were held for the children of the Ordubad, Lenkoran and Astarin regions in Azerbaijan. It hosted more than 70 children who were informed about the importance of the leopard conservation and the WWF s efforts in the region. Children participated in contests for best picture and best leopard story, winners were awarded and all participants were given certificates and leopard T-shirts and caps. In August , 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 the WWF Caucasus earlier in October The programme consisting of ecogames, various contests and other engaging activities for the attending children which also included daily Eco-camp in Siuniki Gandzer in Southern Armenia / WWF Caucasus Photo Library / K.Manvelian Nugzar Zazanashvili Conservation Director nzazanashvili@wwfcaucasus.ge

5 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 experts led by Mr. Udo Hirsch, an expert from CUNA GEORGICA, Georgian Culture and Environment Support Society. WWF Caucasus Photo Library / L.Pataraia, G. Bukhaidze / D. Kikodze Sopho Katsarava Country Coordinator skatsarava@wwfcaucasus.ge

6 RED DEER RESTORATION IN THE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS The Caucasian red deer is one of the most endangered wildlife species in the Southern Caucasus and is listed in all the national Red Books of the Caucasus countries. WWF Caucasus has been involved with the monitoring of the Red Deer population in the Borjomi- Kharagauli National Park (BKNP) which began , - a modest initiative that turned out to be the starting point of a far more ambitious cross border conservation effort, with the long-term objective of restoring Meeting in Borjomi / WWF Caucasus Photo Library the red deer population in the entire ecoregion. Nearly two years into the project Conservation and Restoration of the Red Deer in the Southern Caucasus the WWF Caucasus has managed to involve a wide spectrum of players in the project, ranging from governmental organisations and NGOs to experts and local communities. By September 2004, the WWF Caucasus and its partners have concluded their survey on the red deer population in the Gardabani Sanctuary, Zakatala and the Belokan districts in Azerbaijan, including the evaluation and monitoring procedures in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and the Borjomi State Nature reserve. On July , Borjomi hosted a seminar on the red deer monitoring; the seminar was attended by representatives from the BKNP and Zakatala nature reserves. It was the first case of experience sharing between the staff of the 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 discuss the possibilities of animal translocation from Zakatala to Borjomi. The same workshop triggered the beginning of some technical support for the Zakatala nature reserve that includes the rehabilitation of the old shelters and the construction of new shelters in the reserve. Nugzar Zazanashvili Conservation Director nzazanashvili@wwfcaucasus.ge

7 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 These proposals include the following issues: a) forest restoration, a) illegal logging and b) HVCF. Financing circumstances will not become evident until January, 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 Any approval/disapproval of the proposal is expected in December 31, WWF Caucasus has accomplished the Organizational Assessment process that started in March 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 Aleksidze str Tbilisi, Georgia To subscribe, unsubscribe or contribute to the WWF Caucasus Newsletter, please send an to: ktolordava@wwfcaucasus.ge