Georgia Starts Crafting Its New National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan

Georgia has taken a significant step in strengthening its environmental governance by launching the development of a new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The initiative marks a renewed effort to protect the country’s unique ecosystems while aligning national policies with global biodiversity goals.

Setting the Stage

The launch event was held under the “Global Biodiversity Framework – Supporting Early Action” project, a program designed to help countries prepare concrete roadmaps for biodiversity conservation. Participants included government officials, international organizations, and civil society stakeholders, reflecting the cross-sectoral importance of the new strategy.

Nino Tandilashvili, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, emphasized that the updated plan will “define Georgia’s strategic biodiversity priorities for the coming years,” ensuring both compliance with international obligations and a clear framework for domestic action.

Why It Matters for Georgia

Georgia is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, home to a remarkable range of flora and fauna spread across mountains, forests, wetlands, and coastal zones. This natural wealth is both a national asset and a global responsibility. However, the country faces growing challenges such as deforestation, land degradation, urban expansion, and climate change, all of which put pressure on fragile ecosystems.

The NBSAP aims to provide a structured response to these threats by:

• Establishing clear conservation targets across protected areas, forestry, and agricultural landscapes.
• Integrating biodiversity concerns into national development and economic policies.
• Encouraging community participation and raising public awareness about the value of ecosystems.
• Strengthening scientific monitoring and data-driven policymaking.

Institutional & International Support

The process is being coordinated by the Environmental Information and Education Center (EIEC) in collaboration with the Biodiversity and Forestry Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. International partners are also playing a central role: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is providing technical guidance, while financial support comes from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

This cooperation ensures that Georgia’s strategy will not only address local needs but also remain consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the newly adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which set ambitious targets for 2030, including protecting at least 30% of the planet’s land and sea.

Building on Previous Achievements

Georgia has already developed earlier biodiversity action plans, but the current process seeks to be more comprehensive and future-oriented. Lessons from past initiatives highlighted the importance of stronger enforcement, better data collection, and deeper integration of biodiversity into other sectors such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.

By updating its NBSAP, Georgia has the opportunity to:

• Scale up protected areas and improve their management.
• Introduce nature-based solutions to address climate impacts.
• Foster eco-tourism and green business models that benefit both communities and conservation.
• Enhance international cooperation in the Caucasus region, where ecosystems often cross borders.

Next Steps

The drafting process will involve wide consultations with government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and local communities. Public engagement is seen as a cornerstone of the strategy, as biodiversity protection requires collective action. Once finalized, the NBSAP will serve as a blueprint for conservation policy and investment over the coming decade.

A National and Global Responsibility

By initiating this process, Georgia reaffirms its role as a responsible member of the international community. Protecting biodiversity is not just an environmental issue — it is deeply connected to food security, economic resilience, and public health. As the world races to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets, Georgia’s proactive stance sets an example for other countries in the region.

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