They provide sustainable, long-term funding to selected Protected Areas in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia designed to improve park management permanently.
Working in partnership with the national governments, CNF provides matching grants for operating costs and salary supplements, essential equipment and maintenance. In addition, they support the development of management plans, biodiversity monitoring systems and ecotourism program that support sustainable development and livelihoods in the local communities.
CNF works through public-private partnerships with the three governments, each side committing to long-term support for the Protected Areas. Following a “50 percent principle”, CNF can match but does not exceed state budgets – potentially doubling a specific park’s operating funds. Our 50% principle promotes a long-term commitment from our partner governments.
To ensure sustainable development in communities surrounding the Protected Areas, CNF stresses the importance of long-term planning processes that meet international standards, including the involvement of local people.
By providing long-term support and management assistance for the protected areas of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, CNF seeks to conserve the unique flora, fauna and ecosystems of the Caucasus for future generations while at the same time improving the lives of local people today.
A Caucasus biodiversity hotspot where a rich natural heritage and diverse local cultures combine in harmony, so that the people and species of the region both thrive.