NEWS | Presenting Two Crises, One Solution at COP in Baku
How collaborative efforts in the Caucasus are addressing climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously . WATCH THE FULL PRESENTATION HERE.
On November 19, 2024, as part of COP-29, ECF was presented at a session titled Two Crises, One Solution: Biodiversity and Climate Nexus in the Caucasus in the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) pavilion. The session featured speakers from WWF International, WWF Caucasus, WWF Azerbaijan, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Azerbaijan and representatives from BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany) and KfW Development Bank. This well-attended session explored how the Southern Caucasus is a biodiversity hotspot as well as a hotspot for progressive strategies in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The presentation highlighted some of the integrated approaches which are being applied in the Caucasus to address climate and biodiversity crises simultaneously.
Opening remarks were provided by Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the Global Leader of Climate and Energy at WWF International, who is also the Interim Chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission. He offered a global perspective on the climate crisis, providing essential background and context.
“The recently published Living Planet Report 2024 from WWF shows that in 50 years – from the year 1970 to 2020 – we have lost 73% of the well-documented species. That is a dramatic loss of biodiversity.” - Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Leader of Climate and Energy at WWF International and Interim Chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission
He went on to draw the connection between climate change and biodiversity, the overall theme of this session.
“We also know, because of the Living Planet Report, that 55% of the global GDP depends on nature, so it is clear that we have to do something, that we have to address the intertwined crises. We know that nature is an ally for climate and on the other hand we will be more able to address nature loss by combating climate change .” He also emphasized the importance of transboundary cooperation, citing the work being done in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Next, Dr. Jochen Flasbarth, the State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) gave an introductory statement.
“The increasing understanding that biodiversity and climate are sisters – they belong together –means we need to approach the challenges of biodiversity and climate change together otherwise we will have no chance, specifically using ecosystem services for the sequestration and adaptation of greenhouse gasses.”
He concluded with the announcement of further funding for the Eco-Corridor’s Fund (ECF) Programme, which is currently in its second phase, extending the project into a third phase from 2026 onwards.
Then, Vugar Karimov, the Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan spoke, representing the host country of the COP. He highlighted the high level of biodiversity of the Caucasus, both in flora and fauna. He introduced some of the instruments for biodiversity protection in Azerbaijan and emphasized the many climatic zones. “There are 9 of 11 climate types in Azerbaijan– from desert and semi-desert to alpine zones – in such a small area.”
Following these introductory statements, the formal presentation began, starting with Giorgi Sanadiradze, Regional Director WWF Caucasus Programme Office, who discussed how the WWF’s Ecoregional Conservation Plan for the Caucasus (ECP) can also be leveraged for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region.
Using facts and figures, he emphasized the intrinsic links between biodiversity conservation and climate change in the Caucasus region. He provided a brief analysis of the Ecoregional Conservation Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the South Caucasus countries, and suggestions for updating both with regards to addressing integrating biodiversity conservation and climate action.
“The ECP is our guiding document, and it was prepared with the support of more than 200 experts from the Caucasus region. For many years the original conservation plan was concentrated more on biodiversity issues and featured only secondary (climate change) mitigation measures. We decided to improve the climate focus of the original conservation plan on the one hand, and on the other hand , to prepare the recommendations on how it will be possible to incorporate more biodiversity into the NDCs.”
- Giorgi Sanadiradze, Regional Director WWF Caucasus Programme Office
Frank Mörschel, Senior Portfolio Manager with KfW Development Bank in Germany, discussed the importance of the Ecoregional Conservation Plan as the BMZ and KfW’s investment guideline for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region. He introduced the results of a recently released study on the impact of biodiversity conservation on climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region.
“I have the pleasure to inform you about the outcomes of the study that was done specifically for this event to show how climate and conservation are coming together in this region.” - Frank Mörschel, Senior Portfolio Manager with KfW Development Bank
He showed how the funding from the KfW development bank contributed to the increase of protected areas in the three countries, doubling in area between 2000 and 2024. “We have a significant increase in protected areas by total hectares as well as by percentage per country, and that is very, very good news.”
He also highlighted the calculations showing the significant amount of carbon stored and sequestered within forests and grasslands of these areas, comparable with the total carbon emissions of a country like Armenia. This has a direct impact on climate change mitigation, while the development of conservation management capacity in protected areas also builds the capacity for climate adaptation.
“In summary, following the guidance of the Ecoregional Conservation Plan, we achieve biodiversity, climate and socio-economic objectives of development cooperation in a cost-efficient manner.” - Frank Mörschel, Senior Portfolio Manager with KfW Development Bank
Jernej Stritih, Chief Technical Advisor of the Ecological Corridors Fund presented community conservation of the ecological corridors as a tool for resilient communities and ecosystems in the context of climate change. He introduced how the ECP is being implemented on the local level. One of the challenges in the region has been that conservation and climate change action both have to go beyond the classic protected areas. The ECF Programme achieves this based on the idea that locals should not be victims of conservation plans and regulations, but the partners in the conservation efforts.
“In the last 10 years, the ECF has already set up around 140,000 hectares of community conserved areas, which are supported by 10-year conservation agreements between the WWF and the village communities funded by BMZ, KfW. Other donors have also joined, including Switzerland and Slovenia.”
- Jernej Stritih, Chief Technical Advisor of the Ecological Corridors Fund
He outlined the process that the ECF uses to create these conservation agreements. They look at the habitats of key species through a scientific analysis and the interest of the community to engage in conservation through the Financial Participatory Approach. This process ultimately reduces the asymmetry of information and power between the donors and the local people and ensures the longevity of the conservation measures, for people and for nature.
The presentations were followed by a brief question period, mediated by Manuel Pulgar-Vidal where Jernej Stritih, Frank Mörschel and Giorgi Sanadiradze answered questions pertaining to the mutual benefits that can be generated between climate action and biodiversity, what biodiversity conservation brings to climate mitigation and adaptation, and the need for certification and policy integration of these actions by national governments.
In the final section of the event, Maka Bitsadze, the Regional Conservation Manager in the WWF Caucasus Programme Office discussed the various partnerships for biodiversity and climate and how to effectively leverage the strength of joint cooperation and collaborative efforts.
“To address the immense environmental challenges we are facing, we need collaborative effort and strong partnership – no organization can make changes alone.”
- Maka Bitsadze, the Regional Conservation Manager in the WWF Caucasus Programme Office
She addressed the importance of long-term partnerships and cooperation on all levels, from the international level to the governments and local communities. She used the ECF Programme as an example that exemplifies the importance of long-term commitment and longstanding partnerships for success.
The session was concluded by Elshad Askerov, the Director of WWF Azerbaijan and Alius Antulis, the Managing director of Carlsberg Azerbaijan. They announced and signed a Memorandum of Understanding between WWF Azerbaijan and Carlsberg Azerbaijan to collaborate on water replenishment projects, environmental protection and support for local communities.
This session was built on new knowledge and the existing activities being carried out in the Southern Caucasus. It provided an interactive discussion forum for national-level policymakers to strengthen and support national capacity for synergistic approaches to climate and biodiversity actions. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal of WWF International summarized the session well in his final statement.
“We are here to celebrate. We are here to recognize the importance of having Southern Caucasus countries working together. We are here to celebrate the willingness of countries such as Germany to support this kind of effort.” - Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF International
It is these international cooperative efforts that come together to create lasting impacts, work toward the future and build pathways for sustainable solutions. These efforts highlight the power of regional collaboration and global support to address biodiversity loss and climate change together.
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Watch the session here. Learn more about this session on the UNFCCC website. ECF Fact Sheets can be found here.
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