Georgia: The Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Otar Shamugia held a working meeting with heads of regional services of the Department of Environmental Supervision and National Forest Agency.
At the meeting, within the scope of the competence of these agencies, the existing challenges, needs, and plans in the regions were discussed.
“It is important to hear from regional service representatives about the current situation, ongoing activities, and challenges on the ground to respond in a timely and effective manner.” Despite all the changes and progress made, we have a lot of work to do. Within the scope of opportunity, regional services have full support,” – said Otar Shamugia.
The Minister spoke about the functional importance of the Department of Environmental Supervision and the National Forest Agency for the country and focused on the need to further technical and institutional strengthening of the agencies.
As noted at the meeting, in the wake of strengthening capabilities and functions of modern control mechanisms, the activities of the Department of Environmental Supervision and the National Forestry Agency have become even more effective, as statistics show – in 2023 the employees of the Department of Environment Supervision reported more than 12,700 facts of environmental legislation, And the services of the National Forest Agency, across the country, of wood-forest More than 1000 cases of illegal acquisition and transportation have been revealed.
According to Kakha Tsertsvadze, the head of the National Forest Agency, the prevention, exposure, and detection of the facts of illegal use of natural resources is one of the main priorities of the agency in 2024 as well.
As Levan Jgharkava, the head of the Department of Environmental Supervision, noted, to promote the fulfillment of environmental demands and increase the effectiveness of state control, important measures are planned in the department this year as well; among them, imposing sanctions against violations, based on planned legislative changes, poaching He will regulate the fight against illegal mining and black sea pollution.
The meeting held at the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture was attended by Deputy Minister Kakha Kakabadze and representatives of the relevant services of the agency. The Minister of Environment and Agriculture Otar Shamugia will hold a step-by-step meeting with heads of all regional services in the office.
