ESC: WWF- World Wide Fund for Nature Armenian Branch

World Wide Fund for Nature has a proud history of protecting the future of nature. Working in over 100 countries, with supporters from all over the world, the WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations. WWF partners with governments, businesses, communities and individuals to tackle a range of vital environmental issues. WWF has started to operate in Armenia since 2002 and as of November 2006, WWF Armenia has been registered as an official branch of WWF International as a part of WWF Caucasus Programm Office. The main priority areas of the organization is the development and strengthening of protected areas of Armenia, the conservation of threatened species, the conservation and restoration of ecosystem, mitigation and adaption to climate change, introduction of economic mechanisms for alter-native livelihood for local communities in order to promote sustainable use of natural resources and to protect biodiversity and support and promotion of environmental awareness and education. WWF-Armenia is the largest and best known conservation organization in Armenia. A key priority of WWF Armenia is the conservation of endangered species, such as the Caucasian Leopard. Another key priority is the development of the Protected Area System. WWF provides continuous support to Protected Areas (PAs) by organizing staff training and providing technical capacity building for the purpose of protection, research and monitoring, awareness raising and ecotourism. WWF also assisted PAs with necessary facilities and equipment, including rangers’ shelters, off-road vehicles, roadblocks, binoculars, photo-cameras and more. WWF works to mitigate and adapt to climate change and works with local communities by promoting sustainable use of natural resources and implement economic mechanisms for alternative livelihood which simultaneously protects biodiversity. This includes the development of ecotourism (guest houses and natural trials) and beekeeping, the establishment of orchards and vineyards, and the provision of necessary agricultural machinery. WWF also focuses on climate change by taking measures to help forest ecosystems adapt to climate change. This is done via projects on forest rehabilitation and transformation, whereby mono-culture pine stands forests are mixed with broad leaf forests making them more resilient to climate change.