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Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation and the Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today. The parties expressed readiness to cooperate within the framework of projects carried out and aimed at development of ecotourism in Dilijan city, adjacent communities and Dilijan National Park.

IDeA and CNF will join efforts in designing a comprehensive development strategy and action plan for a sustainable ecotourism destination development, planning, promotion and management. The parties also intend to attract investments for implementation of community development and investment projects in specially protected nature areas (SPNAs) and their surrounding communities.
The memorandum was signed by Head of IDeA Foundation Armen Gevorgyan and CNF Program Director Daniel Sepic.

“Dilijan city and adjacent communities have all prerequisites necessary for ecotourism development, and along with our partner, CNF, we are going to join efforts in the implementation of projects aimed at the development of this sector. We expect them to not only promote biodiversity conservation and tourism development, but to also yield a tangible result in terms of making the social-economic life of the communities more dynamic and creating jobs in the ecotourism sector,” noted CEO of IDeA Foundation Armen Gevorgyan.

He expressed the hope that the scope of cooperation might expand in the future to include other SPNAs as well.

In his turn, CNF Program Director Daniel Sepic noted: “CNF is now in its sixth year of cooperation with Armenia’s protected areas, supporting their operations and upgrading PA management effectiveness. We have only recently begun to work with Dilijan National Park, and as we begin our effort it is great to be joined by a strong partner like IDeA Foundation. Working together we will achieve more, more quickly. This is a bright day for Dilijan.”