First-ever map of South Caucasus biodiversity to be presented in Tbilisi
The print and digital versions of the map will be presented in Tbilisi as the first illustrated publication on biodiversity in the region. Image: National Geographic Magazine.
Tweet 
Share
A first-ever illustrated map of biodiversity across the South Caucasus region will be presented to the public at the Museum of Georgia this Saturday.
Detailing the rich and varied variety of species and ecosystems in the region - regarded to be "of global importance" (German Society for International Cooperation) - the map will be unveiled in a cooperation involving National Geographic Magazine and the Georgian National Museum.
The hosts will unveil both a print version of the map and a "constantly updated" digital version in two languages, as part of the ongoing International Science and Innovation Festival, which opened on September 16.
The Caucasus Biodiversity Map comes as a result of a work supported by the Integrated Biodiversity Management South Caucasus (IBiS) programme of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), which involves Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The German institution has been assisting the three countries in efforts to protect "their biodiversity and sustainably manage the natural resources" available on the territories of the states, since 2015.
[South Caucasus] is home to some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems with an unusually high number of local plant and animal species" - GIZ
The programme details challenges facing the biodiversity in the region, including unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and a lack of public awareness on best practices in managing "biodiversity and ecosystem services".
A lack of cooperation between state- and non-state actors in the three countries and "overlapping interests" between various industries and fields such as forestry, nature conservation and farming are all contributing to the issue, GIZ notes.
The GIZ institution has been involved with Georgia in projects for protecting the country's biodiversity since 2008, with pilot measures within the IBiS programme carried out in the Kakheti province in the east.
The Caucasus Biodiversity Map will be unveiled at the Museum of Georgia, located at 3, Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi.
Georgia is starting the restoration and development of Krtsanisi forest park as part of the new state programme for biodiversity recovery launched today.
Four locations in Georgia’s west could become the first natural sites in the country to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with the protected areas of Kolkheti, Mtirala, Kintrishi and Kobuleti nominated for the global roster through a collaboration of Georgian and foreign professionals.
Some of the most unique and endangered species of the Caucasian flora, fauna and geology will be in touching distance for museum-goers in Tbilisi in a new display starting today.
Georgia’s protected areas are becoming popular tourist spots, hosting 55,490 in the first quarter of 2018, announces Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas. This year the number of guests visiting Georgia’s protected areas increased by 39 percent compared to the same quarter of 2017, statistics show.
The Eurasan Otter, Nordman's Apollo butterfly and Colchian Sowbread flower are among the flora and fauna found across the South Caucasus and now discoverable on the first online map of the region's biodiversity.
While exhibition spaces and cultural institutions shut down across Georgia over the last week as a measure against the new coronavirus, the Georgian National Museum has made available digital tours of its collections to museum-goers staying at home.
Over 50 examples of unique plants from across the South Caucasus, collected in expeditions spanning over 170 years, can now be explored in an online repository of species launched by the Georgian National Museum.
A delegation from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN) is visiting the protected areas of Kolkheti, Mtirala, Kintrishi and Kobuleti to decide whether the unique Colchian forests and wetlands may be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.