The Chairman of Georgia’s protected area agency Besik Kusid met with the official of Europan Parks Federarions to discuss plans for incorporating Vashlovani’s protected areas into the Wilder Park initiative. The initiative aim to coordinate with each other for environment protection.
The “Wilder Park” is a new initiative created in partnership with the largest network of protected areas in Europe. The main partners include the European Parks Federation and the international organization “Rewilding Europe.”The initiative is focused on supporting, restoring, protecting and developing the protected areas of the European Parks network.
Georgiann Protected Areas Agency has been a member of the European Parks Federation since 2018. The “Wilder Park” offers European countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, and others a progressive approach to nature conservation. Natural processes play the main role in protecting landscapes rich in biodiversity.
The executive director of the Georgian organization “Rewilding Europeb” Frances Schepers, the representative of the European Parks Federationb Barbara Paisb and the expert on the management of protected areas and reserves in Spain, Jordi Palau visited Georgia to discuss the issues of Vashlovani’s protected areas.
They within the framework of the visit met with the Chairman of the Protected Areas Agency Besik Kusid who provided the experts with all the necessary information about the protected areas of Vashlovani. After the meeting a visit was made to the protected areas of Vashlovani where the experts got to know the in-depth details and assessed the potential of joining the “Wilder Park” initiative.
It should be noted that Vashlovani protected areas are distinguished by unique semi-desert landscapes and rich biodiversity making them an important conservation area for the region. Since 2015 Vashlovani National Park has been the only protected area in Georgia with European standards. The Turkey reintroduction project has been successfully carried out in the protected areas of Vashlovani since 2013.
The Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture is taking many initiatives to protect Georgia’s natural resources. These initiatives are being taken with the coordination of many local, regional, and international agencies.
