COASTAL MANAGEMENT IN GEORGIA
EUCC has compiled country files on Integrated Coastal
Management (ICM) for all coastal states of Europe and
Central Asia. Summaries for all countries will become
available in August.
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 Earthís 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 70ís to well under 2,000 in the mid 90ís. 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 70ís 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 Georgiaís 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 ëAgenda
21íMARPOL 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, NGOís, 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 areaís 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]