Campaign 'Forest Ecosystem of Georgia, Conservation and Protection'
Initiated by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, the informational campaign "Forest Ecosystem of Georgia: Conservation and Protection" is being implemented. This campaign aims to raise public environmental awareness, including through the use of electronic and print media.
The campaign’s goal is to raise awareness about the importance of the public’s role in forest protection and the proper use of forest resources.
Various natural factors, along with the improper and illegal use of forest resources by humans, have put Georgia's forest cover at risk of destruction.
Effective forest management is the only way to ensure both the protection of Georgia’s unique natural resource – forests – and the receipt of economic and social benefits for the country.
Lepl National Forestry Agency (NFA) is responsible for nearly 1.8 million hectares of forest. The Agency’s priorities include the protection, maintenance, and sustainable use of these forests, which also encompass timber production. Forests, as renewable natural resources, require thinning. It is crucial that these activities are planned by specialists and carried out under their supervision.
The National Forestry Agency conducts care and sanitary thinning aimed at improving the condition of the forest. It is also possible to extract timber resources from an economic standpoint, but it is important not to extract more than what would impede the renewal of this natural resource and damage it. Therefore, all actions by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture serve this purpose.
It is noteworthy that, in order to tighten legislation on the illegal extraction of timber, legislative amendments were introduced in May 2025 to the Administrative Offenses Code and the Criminal Code of Georgia.
Before the amendments, a fine of 2,000 GEL was imposed for the manufacture and transportation of timber without the appropriate documents, with a 5,000 GEL fine for repeat offenses. After the amendments, such repeated actions will be directly considered a criminal offense.
To prevent illegal timber extraction and transportation, and to strengthen monitoring and control over forests, the National Forestry Agency has updated its necessary forestry and agricultural machinery, vehicles, and equipment. 21 high-mobility vehicles were purchased to ensure the uninterrupted operation of regional forestry services; 34 units of specialized equipment for the construction of forestry roads, timber production, and transportation; and 10 drones, 750 camera traps, and body cameras to improve forest monitoring and control.
Efficient state control in the field of natural resource use, as well as the prevention, detection, and suppression of illegal use, is one of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture’s main priorities. The relevant authorities are actively working in this direction.
Between January and September 2025, the National Forestry Agency’s staff identified 516 violations: 455 cases of illegal timber extraction and transportation, 54 cases of illegal occupation of state forest, 4 cases of unregistered sawmills, and 3 cases of unauthorized charcoal production.
