The concept of the national policy of sustainable pasture management was discussed in the regional administration of Guria region
The concept document, which aims to establish a unified, coherent approach to the sustainable use of pastures and their protection, was developed in the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia with the involvement of Georgian and international experts.
The chairman of the National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring, Giorgi Misheladze, along with representatives from the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture and the Regional Environmental Center of the Caucasus (REC Caucasus), discussed the principal directions outlined in the concept document during a working meeting held with the First Deputy State Representative of the Guria region, Ketevan Moistsrapeshvili, and the heads of local self-governments.
According to the newly developed document, pastures owned by the state and municipalities (including protected areas and forest lands) will be made available for use through a common use regime or leasing arrangements. According to the municipal pasture management plans, the pastures will be identified, classified, zoned and use modes determined. A system of common use of pastures will be introduced on pastures near rural settlements. Associations of users will be established and village pastures will be transferred to them. Leasing arrangements will be used for the remaining pastures.
It is important that the status of rural pasture, winter and summer pasture will be determined by law. This policy document will serve as the foundation for drafting the legislative package governing pasture management.
The concept document of the “National Policy for Sustainable Pasture Management" was developed by national and international experts in coordination with the inter-agency working group formed within the framework of the project "Achieving Land Degradation Neutral Balance (LDN) National Goals through restoration and sustainable management of degraded pastures". The project is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
