Tbilisi: The Georgian law “on the creation and management of the Nugzar Zazanashvili Multipurpose Area”, that was passed by the Parliament on November 16, 2022, will come into force from January 1, 2023.
The establishment of the first public protected area is related to the expansion and development of the protected areas network and, in general, appreciation of the great contribution made by Nugzar Zazanashvili to the protection of the country’s environment.
The total area of Samukhi versatile use area is 13 273 hectares.
The main goal of establishing the first VI category protected area in the country according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is to restore, protect and preserve the population of Gazella subgutturosa, that was reintroduced in Georgia .
The Oak valley covers the emerald oak area and represents an important habitat for flora and fauna and endangered species.
The establishment of a protected area at the mentioned site will contribute to the conservation of biodiversity at local, national and trans-border levels, strengthen the network of protected areas in Georgia, protection of key species, development of sustainable ecotourism and keeping the traditions of the shepherds.
The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia, together with the SP Protected Areas Agency, started work on the creation of a multi-use area for oak in 2019, with the support of the World Nature Protection Foundation (WWF).
Nugzar Zazanashvili, serving as the Conservation Director at WWF, possesses a great experience in biodiversity and research on natural resources. He specializes in Biogeography, landscape ecology, ecosystem and species conservation, and protected areas.
He’s consistently been working towards the protection of Caucasian biodiversity and has published more than 60 scientific and popular publications. Zazanashvili has been the Coordinator and implementer of the number of programs and projects on the conservation and sustainable use of the Caucasus biodiversity.
