Over the past 10 years the Caucasus Nature Fund has provided nearly 10 million Euro of funding directly to improve the management of and conservation outcomes in the Protected Areas’ (PAs) systems of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. On November 7th, CNF and Germany’s Development Bank KfW signed an agreement for an additional contribution to CNF of 16.4 million Euro from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) that will enlarge the scope for and ability of CNF to continue to do just that – improve nature protection in the South Caucasus.
“This €16.4 million Euro contribution will allow us to expand our support for PAs while we address the systemic challenges of low salaries and capacities from a long-term perspective – which means in a sustainable manner”, said Geof Giacomini, CNF’s Executive Director.
David Morrison, Chairman of CNF’s Supervisory Board added, “This wonderful gift, the largest we have ever received since we began more than 10 years ago improves the organization’s financial sustainability as we use these funds to achieve real conservation impact – all while we continue to grow our endowment capital. I am incredibly grateful for the trust and partnership we have with the German government and KfW”.
Thomas Eisenbach, CNF Supervisory Board member and the Head of Division for Energy and Natural Resources in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Department at KfW stated, “This is an indication that the German government believes in CNF and the work they are doing to improve conservation in this unique and beautiful part of the world”.