Tbilisi: The draft law on the creation and management of Guria National Park was presented to the Committee for Environment and Natural Resources of Georgia by the First Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili.
Nino Tandilashvili stated “The development of protected areas is one of our priority directions. Over the past 10 years we’ve doubled the number of protected areas and the process continues to expand these areas. The Agency has done important work for Protected Areas and the Caucasus Program Office of the World Nature Conservation Funded by the Swedish Government has conducted on-site studies to draft a bill to establish a Guria National Park”.
Moreover the agency actively worked with the local population held public discussions in municipalities and reached a consensus with all government agencies. According to the oldest version the Guria National Park will be established on 310 hectares in the territories of Chokhatauri and Ozurgeti municipalities.
Similarly 92% of the total area which is 14,141 hectares is forest, nd the rest is mainly Alpine meadows. Notably the establishment of protected areas has some restrictions and with this background it should be noted that traditional activities, including lawnmowers and pastures, are restricted within the National Park.
“This will be the first national park in Guria and I think creating such a national park for the Guria region in the context of regional development is very important. In the coming years we plan to build an administration and a visitor centre and all of this will eventually become a centre of attraction and bring extra kindness to the local population,” Nino Tandilashvili added.
It is also worth noting that the establishment of Guria National Park aims to prevent challenges in Guria’s forest landscapes particularly human damage protect biodiversity and preserve on the ecosystem.
On the other hand the creation of a national park will help to attract tourist flows to protected areas and provide the local population with additional economic benefits.
