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

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Otar Shamugia: "Over the last ten years, the territory of protected areas has increased by 393,000 hectares, covering 912,862 hectares, or 13.1% of the country's territory. Today, Georgia has 100 protected areas."

"The draft law of Georgia on Biological Diversity has been developed in compliance with European directives, approved by the Government, and submitted to the Parliament for consideration," said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, during the presentation of the 2023 report, at the Parliament of Georgia.

According to the Minister, protecting biodiversity and creating protected areas are one of the top priorities for the state. Establishing and managing protected areas following international standards is crucial for protecting biodiversity. Based on this approach, the territory of protected areas has expanded by 393 thousand hectares in the past ten years, totaling 912,862 hectares, or 13.1% of the country's territory.

Currently, there are 100 protected areas of 6 different categories in Georgia. Work in this direction continues, and today, the Parliament supported and adopted the draft law on the creation and management of the Guria National Park, which has an area of more than 15 thousand hectares.

At present, the work is actively underway to expand protected areas in the Racha region. This year, basic studies for creating Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti protected areas will be conducted, with completion expected by the end of the year. When it comes to protecting biodiversity, it is essential to properly and effectively use the potential of our unique nature towards ecotourism. In 2023, 1,078,112 visitors were recorded in the protected areas of Georgia, representing an increase of 19% (902,063 visitors) compared to the data of 2022.

Every year, we expect a significant increase in tourists, which implies more revenue for locals and the opportunity to develop tourism services, including creating thousands of jobs, etc.. which requires the development of proper infrastructure in protected areas that we have been actively implementing for years.
According to statistics, as of 2023, 19 visitor centers, up to 70 tourist shelters, and 100 ecotourism trails exceeding 2000 km have been established in Georgia's protected regions. In 2023, night lighting (3D) was installed in the Martvili Canyon and Okatse (Kinchkhi) waterfall areas, which made these places even more attractive to visitors.
We continue to invest in this direction, and the private sector is actively involved in the mentioned process. This year, it is planned to develop the ecotourism infrastructure in the territory of the Tbilisi National Park, including creating another recreational space for our citizens and international visitors in the vicinity of Tbilisi," said Mr. Otar Shamugia.