Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

UNESCO includes four protected areas of Georgia into the World Heritage List

For the first time in the history of Georgia, UNESCO included four protected areas of Georgia in  the World Heritage List.
 
In the Chinese city of Fuzhou, at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the tropical forests and swamps of Kolkheti are added to the 213 World Heritage List of natural sites as "Colchian Forests and Wetlands", together with the Kolkheti National Park, the Mtirala National Park, the protected areas of Kobuleti and Kintrishi. Natural sites of Georgia earned a decent place along with the Amazon Forest, the Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Etna,  which is the highest peak in Italy, in the south of the Swiss Alps.
 
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Levan Davitashvili, representatives of the Government of Georgia, diplomatic corps and international organizations attended the event , which was dedicated to the world recognition of protected areas and held in Kolkheti National Park.

"I congratulate each of our citizens on the most important day for the whole country. For the first time in Georgia and in the South Caucasus, a unique part of Georgia’s nature, the "Colchian Forests and Wetlands" have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which gives a special responsibility to each of us.

Colchis forests and wetlands are important not only for our country but also for the whole world. With this decision, Georgia has once again appeared on the world map, which further brings Georgia's name to the international arena. Preserving nature, protecting nature, caring for nature, as well as its proper development is a very important responsibility. These are unique opportunities for the development of tourism, which, of course, we should promote" - said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Levan Davitashvili.

The designation for the first natural World Heritage site is an important fact not only for Georgia, but also for the entire region. The respective areas with their unique ecosystems and biodiversity are an important part of the Caucasus ecoregion and the Black Sea basin.


Georgia's protected areas have been granted World Natural Heritage Status, in accordance with UNESCO World Heritage Criteria IX and X, which were internationally recognized as unique and particularly significant with their living ecosystems and living geological processes.

 It should be mentioned, that Kolkheti and Mtirala National Parks and Kintrishi and Kobuleti Protected Areas totally meet these criteria.
Since 2017, the Government of Georgia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and the Agency for Protected Areas started taking specific activities and performing  relevant procedures for inclusion of Kolkheti and Mtirala National Parks into the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The  nomination process of World Heritage Sites was financially and technically supported by the German Government, WWF and Mikhail Zhukov Foundation . In 2019, the nomination for the "Colchis Forests and Wetlands" was submitted.