Caucasus Mountains (Georgia)

Samegrelo, Georgia

The Wyss Foundation is supporting the Caucasus Nature Fund to create new protected areas in Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains. Stretching between the Black and Caspian Seas, the Caucasus Mountains have been identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of just thirty-six global biodiversity hotspots. They form a biodiversity crossroads, where species and habitats found in Central and Northern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa converge.

The region's unique topography produces microclimates and unique soil types, giving rise to an astounding 1,200 plant and fifty animal species that are found nowhere else in the world. The area is a critical habitat for globally threatened species, including the Caucasian leopard, the Caucasian tur (a mountain-dwelling goat), and the Armenian mouflon. These protected areas span the Lesser and Greater Caucasus Mountains.