NEWS | Operations Manual Approved by ECF Management Board
The Regional Management Board is main decision-making body of the Eco-Corridors Fund (ECF). The board is comprised of the senior management of the WWF Caucasus regional and national offices. The first formal meeting of the board was held on June 1, 2016 in Kachreti, Georgia in conjunction with the ECF regional workshop dedicated to reviewing the results of habitat suitability analysis and community engagement activities. Reviewing these results lead to the selection of the priority intervention areas for ECF within each pilot corridor.
The Regional Management Board adopted ECF Operations protocol, which provides the formal framework for the operations of the Ecoregional Corridor Fund as part of the WWF Caucasus Programme. Download the Operations Manual for further information.
According to the Operations Manual, the management structure of ECF is fully embedded within WWF. ECF National Management Teams are set up in each of the three countries. This management structure is complemented by a regional and national consultative bodies which advise the ECF on pertinent issues and also acts as a forum for exchange and information.
The Operations Manual deals with:
processes and procedures related to selection of target areas and selection of groups/participants
selection of conservation measures to be financed
scope; template and procedures related to Conservation Agreements
set-up and operation of the savings accounts
monitoring and support for conservation agreement implementation
reporting and auditing
An important result of the Management Board discussion was also the agreement on the slogan of the ECF, which is “Partnership for living landscapes”. The slogan reflects the landscape approach adopted as the core methodological framework of the ECF. It also links the biodiversity conservation and livelihood of local communities through partnership and the objective of keeping landscapes alive both in terms of natural ecosystems and in terms of rural communities.
