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Land and Real Property



Status: Completed

Full Activity Title: Forest Inventory in Kolkheti National Park and Preparation of Management Manual for Traditional Use Zone

Location: Kholkheti National Park Area

Activity Dates: August, 2006 – January, 2007

Source of Funding: Sustainable Development Project Implementation Agency


Project Abstract

The current socio-economic environment in the settlements adjoining the Kholkheti National Park (KNP) is critical and characterized by deep economic crises and poor living conditions. Local communities are suffering from a high rate of unemployment, weak structural economic conditions and poor infrastructure. The lack of economic opportunities leads to subsistence farming practices that strongly depend on park resources, such as grazing, wood cutting, fishing and hunting. In many cases, such recourse use results in degradation of the environment.

In 2005 Parliament of Georgia passed the law providing the establishment of the resource protection regime in KNP, in particular, traditional use zone within KNP would be established. After the study of KNP ecosystems special territories were allocated to create traditional use zone, where the population would be permitted to use park recourses under strictly limited and regulated rules.

The project objectives are to carry out forest inventory in the traditional use zone in KNP and prepare guidelines for the identification of annual wood cutting limits and for the allocation of wood cutting areas.

APLR studies the KNP management plan data, conducts meetings with KNP administration to discuss the problems dealing with the use of forest recourses, analyzes  maps, satellite photos, ortophotos and other graphic materials to identify model parcels, carries out field works on these parcels to study the composition of the forests and identify the species, age and other important parameters of woods. The information gathered is depicted on the forest maps and the special register is created where all parameters of forests are indicated. Finally, electronic database is created with full information on the forests of traditional use zone of KNP.

APLR specialists draft guidelines for the management of forest recourses in traditional use zone of KNP. Based on these guidelines both sustainable development of KNP forests and  ecosystems, as well as  reasonable forest exploitation/wood cutting will be ensured.