The Georgian steppe spanning the area between the Iori and Alazani rivers hosts a unique mixture of Palearctic, Indomalayan and Afrotropical fauna, including jackals, wolves and vultures. It was once home to the elusive Caucasian leopard. The steppe has been used for millennia as winter pastures by semi-nomadic transhumance pastoralists with tens of thousands of sheep, but a combination of climate change and increased stocking densities is causing the degradation of this fragile habitat.

The project will build on the progress made by the completed ELP-funded Iori River project. It will scale up grassland restoration and continue working with the pastoralist community to recover and to reconnect wildlife corridors from Kakheti to Vashlovani.