Tbilisi: The Environmental Supervision Department has been equipped with new equipment, which includes 14 Renault Duster cars , 6 bags and 8 inflatable boats for the technical staff of the department. The new equipment is particularly important for the detection of offenses such as illegal logging, poaching and air pollution.
“We are implementing important reforms in environmental policy. Reforms aim to bring legal regulations closer to EU requirements. We are actively cooperating both with the civil sector, as well as with the Parliament’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. At this stage, several important new bills are being discussed in the legislature and the process is certainly ongoing,” Environment and Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said.
As the Minister noted, it is important to comply with the regulations and control the environment. That is why the Environmental Protection Department is being equipped with appropriate equipment and enhanced its capabilities.
“At this stage, both with budget funding and with the support of donors and the German International Cooperation Society, we have purchased a variety of modern technology – drones, photo traps, cams, as well as modern tools for measuring particles in the air.”
The equipment will be handed over to the respective departments to assist them in preventing and detecting environmental violations more effectively,” the minister said.
The new Reno Dusters are equipped with “GPE” devices, they are high output, which allows patrolling in hard-to-reach areas. Practically, they will go to places to patrol, and the department employees will use “bugs”.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister Kakha Kakabadze, Senior of the Department of Environmental Supervision Levan Djharkava, as well as the ECO of the project of Biomodiversity and Forestry, National Agency of Wildlife, German International Cooperation Society (GIZ). Representatives of Georgia and environmental NGOs were present.
According to Nino Chkhobadze, Chairman of Georgian Green Movement “Friends of the Earth”, strengthening the Department of Environmental Supervision is important, especially in the direction of illegal fishing.
“Poachers destroy our Ikhtiafauna so much that it may be difficult to recover it. In this context, it is important to have appropriate strict sanctions and effective control in this direction. The department must work as much as possible to stop poaching”, – said Nino Chkhobadze.
Forest Sector Reform Support Project “ECO”. According to Christian Goener, head of Georgia’s sustainable forest management component, the German government wants to support Georgia, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, in implementing forest sector reform and forest preservation.
The aim of the support is to ensure that the country has a sustainable forest management mechanism and ensure both the forest sector is to preserve the ecosystem, biodiversity and combat climate change.
