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Georgia becomes co-Chair of the Bureau and the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne Convention)
At the 42nd session of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili, Head of the Biodiversity and Forestry Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Bureau for one year.
The 42nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne Convention) was held in Strasbourg, France.
The Committee recognized and approved 66 sites (with a total area of 1.3 million hectares) in Georgia as Emerald sites. The territories were selected in 2013-2021 and submitted to the Convention.
It is worth mentioning, that the emerald network was established in Georgia for the implementation of the Convention and fulfillment of obligations taken under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement in 2014. Moreover, the approval and designation of territories as Emerald sites is an important process for the country.
The appointment of a representative of Georgia to the mentioned position will promote active representation and positioning of our country in the structures of the Council of Europe on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will foster more effective implementation of environmental policy in Georgia. The protection and management of Georgia’s protected areas included in the international network will be improved. Currently, the planning and development of the management plans are actively underway for all emerald sites in the country.