Tbilisi:Â The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia has established a special temporary commission. This commission will evaluate the effects of the infrastructures and other development projects on the Biodiversity in the country.
It is to be added further that the commission will take a look at the site and assess the impact on biodiversity around the infrastructure project in the area of Baldi Canyon Nature Monument. Representatives of non-governmental organizations interested in the issue are also planning to visit Baldi Canyon and make the assessment.
According to the current legislation the Ministry and the Agency do not have the obligation to prepare an environmental impact assessment document based on the scale of the project given the recommendation of the High Public Interests and the Protected Areas Consultative Councils.
Destructive actions have been recorded multiple times by a group of locals protesting the Baldi Canyon development project. In some cases there was a verbal and physical confrontation attempt with the employees of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and the Agency of Protected Areas.
The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and the Agency of Protected Areas are hopeful that the planned visit of the temporary commission to the Badley Canyon area, which will assess the impacts on biodiversity, will be held in a peaceful, working environment and no party will try to interfere with processes and other destructive actions.
The ministry stated that “ we would like to clarify once again that the goal of the Baldi Canyon development project is in the light of best international practices, to create an additional center of attraction in Samegrelo region – the first roller attraction in Georgia (Caucasia) is all ready to create which will be fully benefited by persons with disabilities.
Therefore this unique place,most of which was inaccessible to visitors will be recognized by the whole country and the world. At the same time this project will have a significant positive impact on the lives of locals as it did for Martville Canyon and other nature monuments that the conservation Agency has been working on for years.