Eight projects aiming to conserve natural resources along the Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will be supported in 2006 by the Small Investments Fund (SIF) that has been created by the UNDP and BTC Company. By the end of Request for Proposals phase in September 2005, more than 40 applications for the Small Investments Fund were received. The environment and sustainable development projects were selected at the end of 2005.

Small Investments Fund (SIF) was formed within the Environmental Investment Programme of Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline Project. The project is a collaborative effort between UNDP and the BTC, with UNDP acting as the implementing agency. The project aims to promote the sustainable development and conservation of natural resources and sustainable energy along the Turkish section of the pipeline route.

The SIF Project started in September 2004 with the initial amount of funding provided by both BTC and UNDP. Total budget of SIF Project is US$ 325.000. 250.000 of this amount is contributed by BTC whilst 75.000 is provided by UNDP.

UNDP Turkey aims to use its expertise and network in its two thematic areas of concern, namely (1) Biodiversity and Natural Resources Conservation for Sustainable Development (2) Sustainable Energy within the framework of the SIF project in order to help strengthen the capacity to address these challenges at community levels. Throughout the project, the local capacity will be strengthened, demonstration projects and models will be developed and best practices will be highlighted.

Selected projects will be implemented in Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, Erzurum, Osmaniye and Antakya. The titles of the selected projects and the supported organizations are as follows:

• Senkaya Hunters Society for Wildlife Conservation : Awareness Raising on Environment and Conservation of Wildlife in Liksor Valley in Senkaya District (Erzurum),
• Society for the Conservation of the Cildir Lake: Promoting Sustainable Fisheries at Cildir Lake (Kars-Ardahan),
• Ar-De Real Estate, Investment, Marketing and Trade Joint Stock Company: Production of a Documentary for Raising Awareness on Environment (Kars-Ardahan),
• Levant Society for the Conservation of Nature: Sea-friendly fishing in Antakya Samandag Meydan Village,
• Artvin Hunters Society: Networking on Wildlife Conservation in Lesser Caucasus (Ardahan, Artvin, Erzurum and Kars),
• Nature Society: Bird-watching Tourism in Kirmitli Wetlands for Sustainable Development (Osmaniye).
• Erzurum Agriculture Volunteers Society: Diminishing goat browsing pressure on the Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.) forests in Uzundere (Erzurum)

• Demonstrative impact of a project is crucial in Turkey. Currently, there is a significant need of good examples and best practices linking conservation to development that can be disseminated at large.
• Community development through capacity building, training, and networking are just as valuable as implementing results-based Ecologically Sustainable Enterprise Projects in the region. Thus, supporting the capacity of local communities to learn the means for organising themselves, managing and initiating community driven development through first building solidarity and know-how is of prime importance.
• SIF offers an important opportunity for local grassroots organisations to strengthen the local capacity in order to implement approaches to environmental management that also respond to the needs of the poor.