5th June - World Environment day
World Environment Day was celebrated with a large-scale cleanup campaign near Jvari
Monastery.
The event was held as part of the volunteer
platform “Forest
Friend”, which aims to involve the private sector and volunteers in
forest protection and restoration efforts. Participants in the cleanup included
students from Tbilisi State Medical University, representatives from the
company IDS
Borjomi Georgia, and other volunteers. Symbolically, five
coniferous tree saplings were planted on the slope near Jvari Monastery.
It is noteworthy that within the “Forest Friend”
project, a forest development plan has been prepared for a 31-hectare area
surrounding Jvari Monastery. The new forest will be created with the
involvement of both the public and the private sector. The territory has been
divided into 140 plots. Gradually, and in accordance with the seasons, 25,300
trees and shrubs of various species will be planted. Volunteers, under the
supervision of the National Forestry Agency, will also take care of the planted
greenery. The forest to be established on the slope of Jvari Monastery will be
the first of its kind in terms of scale and significance.
The “Forest Friend” project is an exemplary
model of care on forest, volunteer engagement, and shared environmental
responsibility.
The National Forestry Agency ensures the
selection of areas for forest restoration and maintenance, preparation of
forest rehabilitation projects, and supervision of related works. The main goal
of the project is to unite society around environmental responsibility. It is
important that the platform engages not only volunteer groups but also the
private sector, including large companies.
The platform allows both individuals and
companies to register as volunteers and physically participate in forest
maintenance, restoration, and care activities; to make donations of any amount
to support forest restoration projects; or to select and fully or partially
fund a specific forest rehabilitation project.
(See more: https://forestfriend.ge/about)
The “Forest Friend” volunteer platform was
created through the initiative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and
Agriculture of Georgia and the National Forestry Agency, with support from the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its Biodiversity Finance
Initiative (BIOFIN).
World Environment Day has been observed since
1973 by the initiative of the United Nations and is dedicated each year to a
major environmental issue. The theme for World Environment Day 2025 is: “Beat Plastic
Pollution.”
Numerous events were held by various agencies
under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture to mark the day.
In Lagodekhi, the Agency of Protected Areas held the concluding event of the
educational project “I Protect the Nature of My Country.” The National
Environment Agency marked the day in Batumi with a demonstration of a
waste-collecting drone in water and a coastal cleanup campaign. The
Environmental Information and Education Center held an information session for
schoolchildren and an exhibition of their works in the yard of the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
