This page provides a preliminary summary
on the following items for Georgia:
- Spatial planning
- Environment
- Nature Conservation
- Sectoral Development
- Framework for Development of ICZM
- National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
- Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM
1. Spatial Planning
1.1 Legislation and Regulations
No information received.
1.2 Administrative Competencies
The Ministry of Urbanisation and Construction
is the highest administrative organ at the national level.
1.3 Coastal Policy
The principles and methodology of ICZM will
be applied in order to integrate environmental and socio-economic
considerations into the planning and implementation of major
coast-related development projects, such as construction
and reconstruction of ports and transport infrastructure,
oil handling facilities and pipelines, other industry and
energy facilities. Environmental costs and benefits will
be integrated in the procedures for the economic justification
of development projects. [14]
2. Environment
2.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Water Code, (1974).
- Law on Atmospheric Air Protection, (1981).
- Law on Transit and Import of Waste in the Territory
of Georgia, (1994).
- Law on Environmental Protection, (1996).
- Law on Environmental Permits, (1996).
- Law on Environmental Expertise, (1996).
- Law on Water, (1997). [15]
2.2 Administrative Competencies
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and
Nature Conservation is the highest administrative organ
at the national level. The ministry has several tasks among
which water management, land resources protection, waste
management and marine inspection. [16]
2.3 Environmental Policy
- Integration of environmental considerations into
the development of the national coastal zone, rehabilitation
and the protection of the Black Sea and its coastal
zone are integral parts of the national development
policies and strategies.
- Georgia ICZM Program is remarkable in the sense,
that the institutional development process is paralleled
by on-going investments in coastal regions of the country
under the Municipal Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project
(MIRP), funded by the World Bank/IDA credit resources
and implemented by the Independent Agency for the Development
of Municipal Services. MIRP plans to upgrade exhausted
sewerage and water supply systems in the coastal cities
of Batumi and Poti, rehabilitate solid waste treatment
operations and develop river engineering solution for
the landfill site in Batumi. [17]
3. Nature Conservation
3.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Law on Nature Protection, (1958).
- Forest Code, (1978).
- Law on Wildlife Protection and Usage, (1981).
- Law on Plant Protection, (1994). [18]
- Law on Protected Areas System, (1996).
- Law on Environmental Protection, (1996).
- Law on Environmental Expertise, (1996).
- Law on Environmental Permits, (1996).
- Law on Animal World, (1996).
- Law on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected
Areas, (1999). [19]
3.2 Administrative Competencies
The Ministry of Environmental Protection is
the highest administrative organ at the national level.
The ministry has several tasks within the field of nature
conservation as well, for example there is a Biodiversity
Department and an Entrails of the Earth’s Protection Department.
3.3 System of Protected Areas
Nowadays there are 20 reserves in Georgia
(Administratively united with 14 State reserves), and the
total area is 168 thousand ha, which is 24% of the total
territory of the country. The high environmental value of
the national coastal zone is demonstrated by a number of
nature reserves established in Georgia: Ritsa, Bichvinta-Miusera,
Gumista, Pskhu, Kolkheti, Kintrishi, Skurcha - most of them
preserving the unique sites of mountainous ecosystems. As
part of the System of national Protected Areas, ICZM will
be employed as a framework to promote and implement an appropriate
management system for the protection of biodiversity and
valuable coastal wetland ecosystems (such as the Kolkheti
lowland) and against further degradation. In the reserves
the activities are going in two directions: protection of
the regime of the reserve, and scientific research. The
management of protected areas is carried out by the Central
Agency of Protected areas under the supervision of the Ministry
of Environment. The latter also co-ordinates international
co-operation and programmes for the recovery and conservation
of threatened species, and issues permits on certain activities
within the protected area. [20]
4. Sectoral Development
4.1 Coastal Defence
No information received.
4.2 Recreation and Tourism
During the former Soviet time, Georgia was
one of the most popular tourism destination for domestic
tourists. The number of visitors in 1989 was up to 1 million
annual guests from soviet republics and 170.000 foreign
visitors. In the coastal zone up to 20% of the total labour
resources were involved in the tourism service industry.
Today, this market does not exist any more. There has been
a profound negative trend in the tourist sector. A sharp
decline in international and domestic coastal tourism, due
to water and beach pollution, degraded infrastructure, visual
degradation of beaches and seascapes and other factors.
At the same time, more then 80% of the existing tourists
beach resorts in Georgia are occupied by refugees from Abkhazia.
These resorts can not be used for tourists and need serious
re-investment and reconstruction to meet international standards.
All above-mentioned enables us to conclude that the tourism
potential of Georgia can be successfully marketable if most
attractions (cultural & heritage, nature, environmental,
adventure etc.) will be combined and managed in a sustainable
way. [21]
4.3 Fisheries and Aquaculture
Georgian fishing efforts in the past were
targeted at a few species at the top of the foodchain, such
as mackerel. Decades of over-fishing practices (combined
with many other factors, such as pollution) had resulted
in the loss of genetic diversity. Populations of the target
species were replaced by stocks of less commercial value,
dominated by anchovy. Depleted fisheries had direct economic
impacts (exacerbated by current socio-economic conditions
in Georgia), including reduced income, unemployment and
higher consumer prices. The number of fishermen employed
in the sector fell from over 5,000 in the late 70’s to well
under 2,000 in the mid 90’s. Oil spills are of great danger
to the Georgian coastal zone and its fish populations. Construction
of oil- pipelines and terminals will negatively affect coastal
and the Supsa estuarine ecosystems, and, especially, Black
Sea ichtiofauna. It is necessary to set up breeding stations
in Western Georgia for rearing of commercially important
and severely depleted fish species.
4.4 Transport
Transport development is expected to increase
substantially in the near future. For example the construction
of a western route crude oil-pipeline, its terminal and
off-shore loading facility near the mouth of the Supsa river
are well under way, designed to pass up to 150,000 tonnes
of crude oil per week. The port of Batumi will export 6
million tonnes of oil next year, delivered via a railroad
from Central Asia. The real challenge for the country will
be to serve as one of the transport corridors connecting
Europe and Asia and simultaneously safeguard the critical
assets of the coastal zone.
4.5 Harbours and Shipping
The coastal zone includes the 3 major port
cities of Batumi, Poti and Sokhumi. Operation of the port
and related infrastructure is an important activity here,
though shipping has declined markedly as can be illustrated
on the example of Poti, where the turnover of goods dropped
from more than 4 million tonnes per year in the late 70’s
to less than a million tonnes per year at present. [22]
4.6 Industry.
Because of the hard economical crisis, the
productive capacity of industrial enterprises was considerably
reduced after 1992, enterprises worked for 20 - 25 % from
their project powers. Nowadays several large industrial
enterprises start functioning and have the perspective of
development. The main polluters are enterprises of chemical,
oil-refining, coal-mining, mechanical engineering industry.
According to the Economic and Social Development Indicative
Plan for the years 1996-2000, elaborated by the Department
of Industry of the Ministry of Economy of Georgia, no industry
branches are given priority. It is predicted that by 2000
an overall industrial production figure three times higher
than that of 1995 will be reached, i.e. 22% of the 1990
figure. [23]
4.7 Agriculture
No information received.
5. Framework for Development of ICZM
At the Bucharest convention (1992) the Black
Sea coastal nations recognised the need for protection of
the Black Sea. At the Odessa Ministerial Declaration and
in the Regional Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation
and Protection of the Black Sea (BS-SAP, 1996), the Black
Sea countries agreed to implement Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM).
But ICZM was already initiated in Georgia
in 1993 within the framework of the Black Sea Environmental
Programme (BSEP). BSEP initiatives in the field of ICZM
in 1995 were the actual start of the ICZM Programme of Georgia,
significant GEF-grant resources were attracted by the World
Bank to support the ICZM institutional development component
within Georgia’s Municipal Infrastructure Rehabilitation
Project. Georgia also ratified the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (1982) in 1996, the Rio de Janeiro
Convention (1992) with its ‘Agenda 21’MARPOL and the Ramsar
Convention. The preparation of National ICZM Policies and
Strategies was initiated by the first Black Sea ICZM Expert
Meeting (Istanbul, 1997) organised by the BSEP as part of
its 1997 ICZM component. The National ICZM Report of Georgia
(1996), as a part of BSEP activities, was used as the major
source in drafting the national ICZM policies and Strategies
document.
6. National Achievements in the Field
of ICZM
- ICZM Task Force established at the Ministry of Environment.
- First national ICZM workshop organised.
- EIA legislation elaborated by the Ministry of Environment
and adopted by the parliament:
Law on Environmental Permits and the Law on Environmental
expertise [15,16].
- Georgia joined the Ramsar convention (Parliamentary
Resolution of April 30, 1996), The Kolkheti wetlands
were designated as a wetland site of international importance.
[24]
- The formal establishment of the Kolkheti national
park and Kobuleti nature reserve.
- State Consultative Commission for ICZM (ICZM SCC)
has been established by Presidential Decree, oct.1998.
Consisting of 25 representatives from various ministries
and departments, regional and local authorities, NGO’s,
private sectors and academia. The commission co-chaired
by the Ministry of Environment.
- Govt. of Georgia succeeded in negotiating and securing
financing for the Georgia ICM Project (WB & GEF,
co-financed by the Govt. of the Netherlands). Project
activities will also help the establishment of Kolkheti
wetlands protected areas, the development of coastal
environmental monitoring and information system, to
undertake the investigation of coastal erosion and municipal
water management problems (Poti, and Batumi), and prepare
national oil-spill contingency plan.
- By presidential decree (apr.1999) an ICZM centre
has been established in Tbilisi. The intention is to
create a centre of excellence in ICZM in the course
of the project implementation. The ICZM centre will
also function as the secretariat to the ICZM SCC. [25]
- Several coastal studies have been conducted and reports
have been finalised.
- A series of ICZM related training and capacity building
sessions have been organised.
- Small-scale GIS based ICZM database development
has been initiated.
- Practical ICZM project management experience obtained
by national experts. [26]
- The Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection
and Natural Resources has included the "Law on Integrated
Management of the Black Sea Coastal Zone" in the list
of environmental legislation to be discussed by the
Parliament during the next 4 year period (ICZM Law is
scheduled for the Autumn session, 1999).
7. Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM
- Non-existence of the strategic framework or clear
guidelines for governmental activities in managing sustainable
coastal resources and the coastal zone as a whole.
- Mechanisms and procedures for ICZM are undeveloped,
clear designation of lead agency and management body
is absent.
- Forum for intergovernmental consultation and co-ordination
still needs to be established.
- Duplication of efforts and responsibilities among
various sectors and levels of Government.
- Poor inter-departmental co-ordination in the coastal
zone, inadequate professional resources. [27]
- A need for legal instruments, mechanisms and procedures
for the management of coastal area’s and they also have
to be strictly enforced because at the moment there
is a weak enforcement of existing environmental legislation
and international agreements.
- Boundaries and property rights of the coastal zone
need to be well regulated and legally defined.
- Coastal networking is weak, including linkages between
central and local levels (both governmental and non-governmental).
Also a poor inter-departmental co-ordination in the
coastal zone.
- Sectoral, fragmented organisation of shoreline protection
measures.
- A lack or severe shortage of financial resources
for environmental investments and for coastal protection
purposes in particular together with economic difficulties
in coastal regions.
- An increasing number of current and potential conflicts
between different sectors concerning the exploitation
of resources. [28]
References
| 14 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997. |
| 15 |
www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1 |
| 16 |
www.grida.no/enrin/htmls/georgia/soegeor/hp_soege.htm |
| 17 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997 |
| 18 |
www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1 |
| 19 |
Report of the meeting of ICZM co-ordinators, Gelendzhik,
Russia, 1999 |
| 20 |
http://www.grida.no/enrin/htmls/georgia/ |
| 21 |
www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1 |
| 22 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997. |
| 23 |
www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1 |
| 24 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997. |
| 25 |
Report of the meeting of ICZM co-ordinators, Gelendzhik,
Russia, 1999 |
| 26 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997 |
| 27 |
www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1 |
| 28 |
GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies:
Georgia’, Tblisi, Georgia, 1997. |
Prepared by Martijn Onderstal at EUCC International
Secretariat
