Save the Nature Georgia 2021-2024

Significant achievements were made in establishing a new regulatory framework aligned to international conventions and EU directive. The Law on Biodiversity by the Government was approved by the Government of Georgia and submitted to the Parliament for adoption, expected in spring 2024. The Regulatory Impact Assessment has been partly completed. The Draft Hunting Law has been prepared but cannot be submitted to the parliament awaiting approval of the Law on Biodiversity. In addition, the Protected areas Concept paper, being a requirement for the Law on system of protected areas has been submitted to the Government. Overall performance under the component is on track despite some delays. Progress in protected areas management, functional capacity improvement and species restoration demonstrates tangible advancements in environmental conservation efforts. Active consultation with stakeholders, public transparency, and exclusivity in law-making processes verifies a commitment to the Aarhus Convention, which was ratified in 2020. This is exemplified by the establishment of the National Protected Area Platform. This innovative platform serves as a dynamic hub for communication, consultation, and education among stakeholders concerning Protected Areas. The two meetings conducted during the Reporting Period within this platform has facilitated an inclusive approach in developing the new concept of protected areas. Substantial achievements are made in the implementation of the Floodplain Forests Management and Restoration Plans, in three degraded areas in Eastern Georgia (Alazani, Alaverdi and Rustavi). These comprehensive plans, formulated through extensive stakeholder engagement and in-depth research by a team of experts, reflect a deep commitment to ecological sustainability. The Alaverdi and Alazani Floodplain Forests in eastern Georgia stand as prime examples of this commitment, with their Management and Restoration Plans now fully completed. A key milestone in this progress is the successful installation and activation of all stationary air quality monitoring stations (8) in Georgia: Tbilisi, Rustavi, Telavi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Akhaltsikhe, Mestia. This development represents a significant leap forward in the development of air quality monitoring and improvement reforms. The EU commission concluded in the 2023 Enlargement Report that Georgia is partially aligned with the EU Acquis on air quality. Technical training was provided on the operation and maintenance of the monitoring stations. Sida is in the process of preparing a long-term agency-to agency cooperation agreement between the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SWEPA) and The Georgian Natural Environment Protection Agency (NEA) to further develop prerequisites for effective air quality decision making and fulfillment of EU Acquis and international conventions.

The main goal of the intervention is to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia so that the Ministry will be able to implement activities to stop the loss of biodiversity at the national level in the long run through preventing habitat destruction and degradation, overexploitation of natural resources and species, climate change, pollution of the environment and particularly air pollution.