The Committee at the sitting, presided by the Deputy Chair, Endzela Machavariani, discussed the bills on creation of new protected areas with the II and III readings, introduced by the First Deputy Chair, Sulkham Makhatadze, namely the bill on Creation and Management of Pshav-Khevsureti Protected Area.

The bill creates the protected landscape of Aragvi including the part of Pshav-Khevsureti Protected Area and hence, it entails the change to the law.

The Committee discussed with the II reading the bills on: the System of the Protected Areas; Creation and Management of Aragvi Protected Landscape; Creation and Management of Truso Protected Landscape; Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia, introduced by the Deputy Environmental Minister, Nino Tandilashvili.

As the reporter noted, the bills create two new protected areas – Aragvi and Truso, which extends the total area of the protected zones. “Since 2012, we have created 26 new areas, 3 protected areas have been extended and the total area increased with 280 000 hectares – about 4%. Earlier, about 7% of the territory of the country constituted the protected areas and now, it increased with 4.15%. It is a significant growth and the new protected areas – Truso and Aragvi – with their area, are quite large and will be under the intense protection”.

She also introduced the bill on Creation and Management of Erusheti National Park with the III reading.

The extension of the protected areas entailed high interest of the Committee members, they asked about the vision of the Ministry about the financial provision of the Agency of the Protected Areas. In response, the reporter dwelt on the increased financial resources for the Agency. The matter is that the protected areas basically depended on own incomes from the visitors, and these very funds have been accumulating to be consumed on various infrastructural projects, including the establishment of the administrations etc. This year, deriving from the reduced number of the visitors, the Agency encountered the financial problem, though as a result of the active coordination of the Ministry with the donors, the Agency received quite a solid aid, however, some projects still were suspended.

“Thus, mobilization of the financial resources for the Agency is important to ensure uninterrupted implementation of the plans and projects in terms of establishment of the administrations, visitors’ centers etc. I also would like to underline that we cooperate with the donors in fund raising. Naturally, the budget funds will be envisaged for the protected areas to be created as of 2021 and we will consume on the salaries of the rangers, their equipment etc. Though, in every case, your support in consideration of the budgetary processes will be important”, - she noted.

As to the personnel in the Agency, mostly the local residents are employed as the rangers and the specialists of the visitors’ centers in case they meet certain qualification requirements.

After the employment, they are offered the trainings.

The Committee approved the bills.