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

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The American Wildfire Prevention Campaign "Smokey Bear" will be implemented in Georgia.

The US Forest Service is running the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention program, which seeks to raise awareness among preschool and school-age youngsters while also preserving biodiversity. "Smokey Bear" has been running in the USA since the 40s with the slogan"Only you can prevent forest fires".

The representatives from the US Forestry Service briefed Georgian specialists on the "Smokey Bear" program.

According to Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili, Head of the Department of Biodiversity and Forestry of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture,  raising awareness among youth is an essential component in fire prevention.

 ‘’I would like to thank the United States Forest Service for providing an opportunity to run the Smokey Bear campaign in Georgia. It is crucial to properly take preventive measures for forest fires in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Our rangers and foresters are required to participate in relevant operations at the wildfire locations, therefore, we have a huge responsibility, including fire prevention. The better educated we and our younger generation are, the more we will be able to take steps that will help us to preserve our biodiversity," said Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili.

During the meeting, the American side got acquainted with the fire prevention works in the wild nature of Georgia, the emergency management plan for forest fires, and forest fire management practices. US Department of Agriculture (US DA) Agricultural Attaché, Mr. Rishan Chaudhry, the representatives of the US Forest Service, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Emergency Management Service, the Agency of Protected Areas, the National Forestry Agency, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), CENN and NACRES and other stakeholders attended the meeting.