This three-day conference serves as a platform for representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as members of the scientific community, to discuss the threats to the unique biodiversity of the ecologically important Caucasus region and strategies to protect Caucasian wildlife species. The event is organized with the support of OSCE, World Land Trust and VivaCell-MTS.
Besides workshops to several topics two public forums will also take place within the framework of the conference: "Meet the NGOs" and "Meet the Donors and International Organizations". The first will feature brief presentations by participating Armenian NGOs describing their programs and projects, and the second will include presentations from international organizations and donor agencies to discuss their nature conservation projects in the South Caucasus. The objective is to offer critical civil society actors an opportunity to learn more about what others are doing, and to increase the potential for cooperation across the board. In particular the conference aims to encourage discussion about how private actors and civil society can contribute to wildlife conservation and the protection of wildlife against poaching, habitat destruction and illegal animal keeping. The participation of organizations from the South Caucasus region at the conference will hopefully forge new partnerships and cooperation across borders.
The conference will also host two project contests to encourage innovative solutions in wildlife protection. One contest is for Armenian NGO participants; the other is for Armenian graduate-level students (i.e. MA or above). An independent jury will select one winning project for each contest, and each will receive a grant in the amount of 1 Million AMD (2000 Euro) to put towards their research or program. The prize money for the NGO contest is bestowed jointly by World Land Trust and FPWC. The prize money for the student contest is bestowed by VivaCell-MTS.