Environment and Agriculture Ministry discusses draft law related to biodiversity

Tbilisi: The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of the Republic of Georgia has discussed the working version of the draft law on biodiversity regulation impact assessment (RIA). The discussion was attended by representatives of relevant ministry agencies and representatives of the project “Save Nature – Georgia”.

It is to be specifically mentioned that the aim of the draft law “On Biological Diversity” is to provide the creation of legal basis for the establishment of an effective system for biodiversity, protection to long-term preservation and sustainable management. 

Moreover it also aimed to fulfil the obligations set out by Georgia in the field of nature protection and other association agreements ratified by the country For harmonisation with the European nature protection strategies.

The meeting also underlined that the Biodiversity Regulation Impact Assessment (RIA) document will contribute to the creation of an evidence-based document with the involvement of all stakeholders concerned with the Ministry of Agriculture.

At the same time the RIA allows planning for changes to predict the expected results of the changes, calculate all possible costs and benefits, identify all affected parties and also assess various alternatives for implementing the changes to select the most effective method.

It is to be added that the impact assessment document of the draft law on biodiversity was developed by the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia and the Swedish Government’s International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) within the framework of the project “Save Nature – Georgia”.

It is worth noting that the project “Save Nature – Georgia”, has been successfully running since 2021. The aim of the project is to improve the sustainable management of natural resources in Georgia, promote the protection and restoration of biodiversity, and strengthen the institutional capabilities of the Ministry and its agencies, for which a number of important activities are being implemented.

The attendees of the meeting also stressed that this is a very crucial time for the implementation of sustainable-oriented policies. They also agreed more effort is needed to implement at the national, regional as well as international levels to tackle the problem of climate change effectively.

It was also agreed by the attendees that the meeting is very important for bringing a crucial result for the climate of the country as well.