European Wilderness Network Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness
2018 Š European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org
European Wilderness Network
Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness, Georgia
The 50 325 ha Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness was audited and monitored in 2003, 2004, 2006 and in 2012 and meets the Platinum Wilderness Quality Standard. A European Wilderness Quality Standard Renewal-Audit is scheduled for 2022.
Wilderness Protected area
Map scale 1 : 1 200 000 Š European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org
50 325 ha 2003 2012 Old-growth Lesser Caucasus conifer and evergreen forest, high number of rare and endemic species, rare species such as bear, wolf, imperial eagle
approx. 30 000
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WI
L DE R N E
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PLATINUM
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approx. 65 000
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Number of visitors per year to the protected area Number of visitors per year to the Wilderness
107 000 ha
ET
Wilderness Uniqueness
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness Georgia
EU
European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit System
Protected area Wilderness Country Size of the protected area Size of the Wilderness First Audit Most Recent Audit
ALIT Y QU
Wilderness is an important element of the long-term vision of Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. When the park was established, the Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness was already adopted as a fundamental element. The park is known as an outstanding Wilderness, which is successfully monitored by a committed management team. Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is included on the list of 35 world priority ecoregions of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and on the list of 34 world hot spots of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Wilderness information
E U ROP E A
The 50 325 ha Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness is embedded in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Georgia. The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is the first national park and largest protected territory in Georgia, situated in the Lesser Caucasus, southwest to the nation’s capital of Tbilisi. It spans an area of 107 000 ha with total length of 95 km from west to east and a width between 3 and 26 km.
O WILDERNESS S
CI
Borjomi Kharagauli Wilderness / Georgia
Biodiversity The Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness is home to relict, endemic, rare and vulnerable flora and fauna species. The mountainous forest in Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness has been preserved in its pristine and virgin state. In the virgin forests live populations of brown bear, wolf, lynx, red deer and chamois. Birds are particularly easy to encounter and to observe during a hike here, such as the unique Caucasian black grouse - in total 217 bird species are listed on the territory of the National Park. As the Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness lies on the migration route of many migrating birds, in spring and autumn you can see large flocks of beautiful yellowish bee-eater.
Wilderness Tourism Experience The vast and remote Borjomi-Kharagauli Wilderness is accessible via 12 marked trails. These trails provide the opportunity to experience various corners of the park and Wilderness, rich biodiversity, and remote corners of these wild mountains. The trails offer a wide variety of one or several days tours, experiences of rich evergreen forest (spruce, pine, fir-tree and mixed coniferous forests), spectacular alpine meadows, high mountain peaks and sub-tropical Kolchic forests. If you decide to hike to Mount Samethskhvario (2 642 metres above sea level), the highest point of the national park, you will enjoy a picturesque variety of plants blossoming in July and August. Additionally, the park offers hiking, horse riding, biking, snow shoeing, cultural and educational tours.
Contact Borjomi Kharagauli Wilderness Borjomi Kharagauli National Park 23 Meskheti St.Borjomi Borjomi 1200, Georgia Phone: +995 577 64 04 80, +995 577 64 04 44 Website: www.nationalparks.ge
Š European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org
European Wilderness Society
Founded on more than 20 years of Wilderness work by our members, the European Wilderness Society is the only Pan-European, Wilderness and environmental advocacy non-profit, non-government organisation. It has a dedicated multi-cultural and experienced team of Wilderness and wildlife specialists, nature conservationists, researchers and scientists, tourism experts, marketing and business professionals, legal advisors and Wilderness advocates, whose mission is to: XX XX XX XX
identify designate steward promote
Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers. Here non-human intervention leads to open-ended, dynamic processes. This is conveyed through a range of projects that facilitate Wilderness knowledge exchange, including education, culture and science, from local community through to scientific and governmental level.
European Wilderness Network
The European Wilderness Network connects Europe’s wildest places. Certified by the European Wilderness Quality and Audit System, these unique areas host diverse wild ecosystems governed by dynamic open-ended processes, with no or minimum human-intervention. The Network includes, for example, Europe’s last primeval beech forests, the arctic tundra, and mountain landscapes in different climate conditions. It aims to promote Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers, with a comprehensive marketing strategy. The European Wilderness Network offers a platform to share Wilderness Stewardship best-practice examples and Wilderness research. It connects like-minded Wilderness managers and advocates and fosters the exchange of ideas and knowledge across Europe and the world through the European Wilderness Exchange Programme. For more information please see http://european-wilderness.network
European Wilderness Society Registration number / ZVR Zahl: 305471009 Registered in Austria Dechant-Franz-Fuchs Str. 5 | A-5580 Tamsweg EU Transparency registration number: 706136913777-83
www.wilderness-society.org