The members of the Advisory Council of the Agency of Protected Areas discussed the Baldi Canyon project-related issues at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

As mentioned, ensuring the sustainable development of Baldi Canyon is crucial for all parties, which includes stakeholder engagement in the process.

“The Ministry will conduct an environmental impact assessment of the Baldi Canyon project through active communication while identifying and considering its ecotourism potential. All interested experts and parties will review the assessment. We will deliver the conclusions to the population during the face-to-face meeting and to the stakeholders at the Council’s next meeting”, - said Carl Amirgulashvili, Head of the Department of Biodiversity and Forestry.

Even though the Agency was not required to develop an environmental impact assessment document under existing legislation owing to the project’s small scale, the Advisory Council addressed the topic of biodiversity impact assessment as a recommendation. Accordingly, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Agency of Protected Areas provide an impact assessment on the biodiversity at the Baldi Canyon Natural Monument with the involvement of experts.

At the end of the meeting, the members of the Council agreed to hold an external meeting at the Baldi Canyon shortly and introduce the aspects of environmental impact.

“The relevance of Baldi Canyon in the system of protected areas should be emphasized, thus the assessment should not be made just from the point of view of tourism but also should consider its significance as a protected area”, - said Nino Chkhobadze, the Chairperson of the Greens Movement of Georgia - Friends of the Earth.