December 16, 2012

Sunchild International Environmental Festival

Sunchild International Environmental Festival

Sunchild International Environmental 3rd Film Festival took place in Yerevan on October 14-18, 2011. The Festival Program in 2011 included events, film screenings, art exhibitions, public discussions and educational activities for children and youth. This year the program was focused on wildlife conservation in the South Caucasus. To bring forward this important topic “Wildlife conservation”, FPWC has organized an international conference about “The role of civil society and private actors in Wildlife Protection in the South Caucasus” as a part of the Festival. The conference took place with the cooperation of FPWC’s British partner, the World Land Trust.

Three-day conference as part of the program of the SunChild 3rd International Environmental Festival, which is the only environmental festival in the Caucasus and taking place once every two years has been launched in Yerevan, from October 15th to 17th and served 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. Special emphasis has been given to the question of how private actors and civil society can contribute to wildlife conservation and the protection of wildlife against poaching and illegal animal keeping. The main goal of the conference was to provide an opportunity for networking and to foster regional and international cooperation and partnerships, particularly between NGOs, companies, scientific institutions and governmental entities.

The conference included an overview of the various natural wildlife habitats and their endangerment by the exploitation of the region’s natural resources. The current laws in place to safeguard these areas, as well as the shortfalls of the system, have also been explored. Participants had an opportunity to speak directly about their specific projects and approaches. The conference served as a platform to discuss critical priorities and potential collaboration to advocate efficiently for wildlife conservation in the region.

The conference included a project presentation session for which participating Armenian organizations had an opportunity to submit a project concepts that uses innovative methods to meet the special wildlife conservation challenges in Armenia. This event helped to promote direct communication about current policy and enforcement issues in wildlife protection.

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