WWF in the Caucasus: step by step

• Six kittens were born in the Leopard Recovery Center in the Caucasus.
• The first three Central Asian leopards have been released into the wild on the Caucasian Reserve territory.

• Due to measures taken to preserve the existing groupings of pure-blooded bison, their total number in the North Caucasus has reached 105 individuals: 77 in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, and 28 in the Arkhyz area of the Teberda Reserve, including five new-born calves.
• The logical completion of the state contract commissioned by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Republic of Dagestan and executed by WWF was the creation of a regional monument of nature «Tarki-Tau Mountain».
• Simbad, a male from the French park of cats arrived to the Leopard Recovery Center in the Caucasus. He will also be prepared to be released into the wild.

• Thanks to the measures taken to preserve the existing groupings of pure-blooded bison, their total number in the North Caucasus has reached 90 individuals.
• Five kittens were born in the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard.

• In the summer of 2013, four kittens were born in the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard in the Sochi National Park. After preparing them for an independent life in the wild, in the spring of 2015, grown leopards will be released in the Caucasian biosphere reserve and will become the founders of the new natural grouping of this species in the North Caucasus.
• In July and November 2013, two calves were born in a group of bison brought to the territory of the Arkhyz area of the Teberdinsky Reserve in 2012, which is an indicator of a successful adaptation of animals to the Caucasus conditions.

• A natural park «Itzari» of an area of 5413 hectares has been created in the Dahadayevsky district of Dagestan.
• WWF has signed an agreement with the Government of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania on cooperation in the field of restoration of the bison population in the republic.
• The process of preserving free-living groups of bison in the region has been completed: nine bison have been released in the Tseya Wildlife Sanctuary of North Ossetia-Alania, and eight animals in the Teberdinsky Reserve.
• With an active participation of WWF, a memorandum of mutual understanding of the restoration (reintroduction) of the Central Asian leopard in the western Caucasus has been signed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation (MNR), the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN SSC). It is this document that made possible the arrival of a pair of leopards from the Lisbon Zoo to the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard in the Sochi National Park.

• Taking into account the experience of Olympic construction, WWF has signed an agreement on cooperation with OOO «Resorts of the North Caucasus» to optimize the location of planned resorts at an early stage in order to reduce the harm to the nature of the region.
• WWF has initiated the development of recommendations for the expansion of the UNESCO World Heritage Site «Western Caucasus».
• Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan, WWF has carried out a design survey work for the creation of a natural park «Hunzakhsky»; a project of a natural park organization has been prepared.
• WWF took an active part in the creation of the Public Environmental Council under the head of the administration (governor) of the Krasnodar region; WWF representative has joined the Council and headed the working group on PAs.
• WWF took an active part in the activities carried out during the execution of the commission issued by the President of the Russian Federation on environmental risk assessment of terminals in Novorossiysk and Tuapse; together with the Krasnodar public organization of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Nature has developed and sent to the Administration of the Krasnodar region a proposals of the effective fulfillment of the commission set by the President of the Russian Federation.

• WWF has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy Development of the Republic of Kalmykia on cooperation in the field of environmental protection.
• WWF has provided the delivery of two leopard females from Iran to the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard in the Sochi National Park.
• The «Utrish» Reserve has been created by the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation. WWF considers the preservation of Mediterranean ecosystems a priority; this includes coastal pistacia and juniper forests.
• The long-term work of WWF on securing the territorial protection of the main migration corridor of animals along the Caucasian ridge has been successfully completed; the biosphere polygon of the Teberdinsky Reserve has been created.
• WWF continues the work on the development of regional PAs network: together with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan, new legal documents for 10 regional wildlife reserves with a total area of more than 400 thousand hectares have been drafted, and a project for the creation of the «Itsari» Natural Park has been prepared.
• WWF initiated a plan for the conservation of Saiga antelope in Russia.
• With the support of the WWF, methodological recommendations for the creation of regional reserves, nature monuments of regional importance and model documents: provisions for natural parks and regional sanctuaries, the passport of a regional nature monument, the conservation obligation of a natural monument, the charter of a state budget environmental institution have been prepared.

• The construction of the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard, located on the territory of the Sochi National Park has been completed. Two males of the Central Asian leopards from Turkmenistan have arrived there.
• WWF has begun a practical implementation of the bison restoration program in the Caucasus: the first bison from the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve has been delivered to the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania.
• WWF prepared a new version of the Utrish reserve location on an area of more than 34,000 hectares. The whole scope of problems faced by WWF at the stage of approval of the Utrish Reserve project can be described by a single word — «Confrontation»: the administration of the Krasnodar Region opposed the inclusion of the proposed territory into a reserve, expecting that the coastal areas would be used for the development of tourism. The Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia agreed with this position in spite of the goals of preserving the unique Mediterranean landscapes represented in Russia only on a small stretch of the Black Sea coast between Anapa and Gelendzhik.
• WWF has overseen the preparation of the necessary documents justifying the need to increase the area of the Erzi reserve in the Republic of Ingushetia — by a decision of the Government of the Russian Federation the area of the reserve has been increased by almost sixfold.
• WWF has begun the expansion of the «Turmonsky» reserve in North Ossetia, in which the creation of the second free-living group of bison is planned.

• Thanks to the active position of WWF, other environmental organizations and the scientific community, the Government of the Russian Federation has decided to preserve the most valuable natural complexes by excluding them from the territory of the Olympic construction
• As part of the state contract with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, WWF has prepared environmental and economic grounds for the creation of the «Utrish» Reserve and the expansion of the Sochi National Park territory by including the lands of Loo forestry.
• WWF has completed the development of the Environmental Network Scheme of the Russian Caucasus.
• WWF has begun the construction of the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard. The initiative of WWF has been supported by the Government of the Russian Federation. The completion of the construction of the Center for the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard was to be carried out from the federal budget as part of the program for the preparation for the Olympic Games in Sochi.

WWF has begun the implementation of the Program for the restoration (reintroduction) of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus: a five-party agreement has been signed with Rosprirodnadzor, Sochi National Park, the Caucasus Nature Reserve and the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution; contracts for the financing of the Program have been signed with OAO VimpelCom and OOO «Company for the development of the ski resort Rosa Khutor»; and the location of the Center for breeding and rehabilitation of the Central Asian leopard has been chosen.

• WWF has carried out the reconstruction of the mini HPP in the Caucasus Nature Reserve, which supplies the «Guzeripl» cordon with energy.
• WWF has begun the work to expand the Dagestan and the «Erzi» Reserves.
• WWF has conducted an educational training on how prevent illegal logging for the Teberdinsky Reserve state inspectors and employees of the Rosprirodnadzor administration for the Karachaevo-Cherkessia Republic.

• A regional office «Russian Caucasus» has been opened in Krasnodar.
• WWF has initiated the development of the Program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Russian Caucasus and conducted sponsors search for its implementation. Russian experts have developed a strategy, action plan and work program for the reintroduction of the Central Asian leopard in the Russian Caucasus.

WWF has organized expeditions to study the current state of the Central Asian leopards’ population in the Caucasus.

The CEPF (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund) has accepted a report prepared by WWF «The Caucasus is a key ecoregion» and has allocated funding for the implementation of projects on biodiversity conservation in the Caucasus. Work has begun on the creation of the Teberdinsky biosphere polygon, which will connect the Teberda and Caucasus Nature Reserves. ZAO «Kartontara», which is the largest timber processing company in the North Caucasus, has joined the Association of Environmentally Responsible Timber Manufacturers of Russia, created with the assistance of WWF.

The President of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic v. Semenov has announced an increase in the area of specially protected natural areas as a «Gift to the Earth» within the framework of WWF’s «Living Planet» program. The President has officially announced an increase in the area of specially protected natural areas, including the establishment of a national park «Arkhyz «with a total area of about 200 thousand hectares.

WWF has outlined the priority measures for the preservation of the Caucasus nature and has begun permanent work in the region.

WWF has assessed the current status of biodiversity in the Caucasus, developed an action plan and a package of investment proposals for its conservation.