Tbilisi, Georgia: The Georgian Parliament has approved the amendment to the draft law “On the Creation and Management of Borjom-Kharagauli Protected Territories.” The main aim was to strengthen the protection and sustainable management of one of the country’s key natural reserves.
The Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia shared the snippets of the event on its Official Facebook Page on June 27, 2025, Friday. According to the details provided by the Agency, various things were noted.
The First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Nino Tandilashvili, presented amendments to the Georgian Parliament in the draft law “Creation and Management of Borjom-Kharagauli Protected Areas“.
A forest pathological study was carried out on the territory of Borjom-Kharagauli National Park and State Reserve, which revealed the severe sanitary condition of the burning forests. In particular, in some sections of the Borjomi State Reserve, the mass sound of Christmas and Sochi trees has been recorded, caused by the joint effects of pests, fungal diseases, and climate change.
As a result of monitoring carried out by the Agency of Protected Areas this year, more than 30% of forest masses are already damaged and sounded. It should also be noted that the fire in the mentioned area in 2022 significantly deteriorated the sustainability of the ecosystem and increased the spread of the disease.
The hazard that may arise if the process is not stopped is related to the area of the reserve, as well as the violation of the ecological balance, the spread of the disease, as well as increasing the risk of natural events, including fire.
Within the framework of current legislation, active management is prohibited in the state reserves, which means that forest restoration and protection against pests cannot be carried out in the areas of this category.
It is also important that the draft law also considers the addition of the most ecologically important, intact areas under the status of state reserve. Specifically, the intact areas of Borjomi district of Borjomi-Kharagaul National Park, which are under reserve, are granted the status of reserve, which further ensures the protection of ecological balance and biodiversity.
This change is a necessary step for the sustainable management of Borjom-Kharagauli protected areas and the preservation of unique nature.
In the direction of forest maintenance and restoration, research monitoring systematically is carried out in protected areas in terms of forest pathological conditions, both through direct observation and pheromonic insect repellents. The goal of such measures is to protect and ensure sustainable management of forest ecosystems in protected areas.
