US government invests $1.6 million to protect national parks of Georgia
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The US government has announced the launch of a five-year, $1.6 million programme ‘National Parks and Ecotourism’ to protect Georgian national parks and make them economically sustainable and more attractive for tourists, announced the Minister of Environmental Development of Georgia today.
The programme starts today and is financed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Georgia.
The project aims to develop the infrastructure of protected areas.
Protected areas are treasures of Georgia that need protection and development”, said the Mission Director of USAID in Georgia Peter Wiebler.
A new project will develop protected areas in Georgia…improve their management system and sustainable development”, said Acting US Ambassador Elizabeth Rood.
The USAID National Parks and Ecotourism Program (NPE) will support ecotourism and increase economic activity in the country.
The NPE will also work with municipalities, non-profit and private organizations to provide technical support and training to improve their productivity and economic efficiency. The NPE will promote tourist zones and make economic conditions better for people living near the tourist areas by creating new jobs.
The programme ... will support the implementation of various economic projects in protected areas, which will significantly improve the economic conditions of the local population," said the Minister of Environment Protection Levan Davitashvili.
The project will be carried out by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI)’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP).
Earlier this year, the Caucasus Nature Fund has also allocated €870,000 for the development of three national parks in Georgia: Borjomi-Kharagauli, Mtirala and Pshav-Khevsureti.
The development period will span between 2019 and 2021.
In April 2019 European Union (EU) launched three new projects for environmental protection and climate change in Georgia.
The Caucasus Nature Fund will allocate €870,000 for the development of three national parks in Georgia: Borjom-Kharagauli, Mtirala and Pshav-Khevsureti.
The European Union (EU) is launching three new projects for environmental protection and climate change in Georgia, announces the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
The Georgian forests are soon to be announced among the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites. This means that the sites that have huge local importance for Georgians, will receive even more special cultural or physical significance worldwide.
The National Parks of Georgia has released a new video showing a combination of dozens of breathtaking national parks in Georgia.
Kazbegi National Park, the local glacier access trail and the meteorological station in the area have been cleaned up today.
The number of visitors to protected areas in Georgia were up 21 per cent in October 2019 compared to the same period last year, announces the Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia.
New protected areas will be created in the Racha region, western Georgia, says the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Georgia.
Visitor centres in Georgia’s protected areas will be closed for 10 days starting tomorrow, says the Agency of Protected Areas. The decision has been made to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
If you've visited protected areas of Georgia and are wondering about the professionals protecting them in their daily work, video profiles of rangers patrolling the diverse landscape of the country are now going up to introduce their stories to social media users.
Georgia has created a new, 10-year ecotourism strategy which sets a goal of making the country the leading, year-round ecotourism destination in the Caucasus region by 2030 based on its rich living culture and nature as well as high-quality hospitality services.