A high-level meeting with the authorities of the German Development and Reconstruction Bank (KfW)

At the meeting, the parties discussed the issues of the development of new protected areas – Racha National Park, Kvereti Managed Reserve, and Shida Kartli protected areas.

"Getting financial support for the development of protected areas is very important. The German government and the German Development Bank have supported us in developing protected areas for many years. This is also the goal of the new project," said Tamar Khakhishvili, Deputy Chairperson of the Agency of Protected Areas.

It should be noted that according to the grant agreement signed between the Agency of  Protected Areas and the German Development Bank (KFW) in 2022, the Agency of Protected Areas received a grant worth 16,250 million euros for the creation and development of new protected areas. The grant project will be implemented for 6 years.

It was emphasized at the meeting that one of the priorities of the project is the improvement of biodiversity conservation and monitoring. Also, improvement of management efficiency, ecotourism development, and raising of staff qualifications are envisaged. The consulting service of the grant project will be provided by "GOPA Consultants", which is a leading consulting company in the direction of effective implementation of international cooperation.

"The project will include both infrastructure development and the implementation of socio-economic projects that will benefit the population surrounding the new protected areas," said Frank Morschel, Manager of the Environmental Portfolio of the German Development and Reconstruction Bank (KfW) in Georgia. The Agency of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and

Agriculture has many years of successful cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany. Within the framework of cooperation, a number of initiatives were laid with the support.