Enhancing Financial Sustainability of the Protected Areas System in Georgia

Organization Ministry of Enviromental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

Director: Irakli Goradze

Country/countries of implementation: Georgia

Geographical coverage: National

Source: Global Environment Fund

Start Date: 2019-01-01

End Date: 2023-12-31

Website https://www.undp.org/georgia/projects/financial-sustainability-protected-areas

Keywords Biodiversity Socio-economic development Protected Areas Georgia

Description

Georgia is one of the few countries globally where protected areas are a genuine high level national priority. Significant progress is made with the expansion of the protected areas network in the past decades, supported by legislative-institutional reforms, and the country is committed to increase the area under formal protection to 20% protection (from current 8%) in the next 8 years. Despite progress made, threats to globally significant biodiversity in Georgia from socio-economic development as well as climate change are exacerbated by ineffective implementation and enforcement of legislation and policies on Protected Areas.

With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), twelve target protected areas will get sustainable financing to support operating costs, site-level technical assistance and capacity building, on financial-administrative planning, budgeting and accounting, tourism development, management effectiveness assessment, and operational management. Awareness raising improves societal acceptance and support of protected areas.

Participants Nino Antadze ,