Sustain Caucasus International (SCI) is an initiative promoting sustainable urban and rural development by implementing concrete projects and education actions to improve the livelihoods of the inhabitants and to protect the natural resources in the Caucasus Mountain range.
We act local and think global.

“The Caucasus Mountain range needs a wholesome and inclusive sustainability model in order to retain its natural habitat
and cultural heritage for all generations.”

Marita Riedel, FOUNDER

The major threats to the mountain regions surrounding the Caucasus are climate change, habitat and species loss, damage to infrastructure, and development potential.

“The biodiversity of the Caucasus is being lost at an alarming rate. Nearly half the lands in the ecoregion have been transformed by human activities. The plains, foothills and sub-alpine belts have suffered the heaviest impact. Most natural old-growth forests have been fragmented into small sections, divided by areas of commercial forest, agricultural and developed lands. Only a quarter of the overall Caucasus region remains in reasonable condition and less than 12 percent of the original vegetation, including forests, can be considered pristine. The major threats to biodiversity in the ecoregion are illegal logging, fuel wood harvesting and the timber trade; overgrazing; poaching and the illegal wildlife trade; over-fishing; infrastructure development; and pollution of rivers and wetlands. These threats lead to habitat degradation, decline of species population and disruption of ecological processes - all contributing to the overall loss of biodiversity.”(Source: Caucasus Nature Fund)

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