On 3 June 2015, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe solemnly awarded the European Diploma for

On 3 June 2015, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe solemnly awarded the European Diploma for Protected Areas to the Vashlovani Protected Areas in Georgia. This protected zone includes five areas: the Vashlovani Strict Nature Reserve, the Vashlovani National Park, the Alazani Riparian Forest Natural Monument, the Takhti-Tepa Natural Monument and the Eagle Canyon Natural Monument.

In its Resolution the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recognises the European significance of these areas which have remarkable landscapes; exceptional geological features; rich and diverse flora and fauna, including rare species; and ecosystems of particular importance for European biodiversity.

The Committee of Ministers placed these areas under the patronage of the Council of Europe until 3 June 2020 and attached two conditions to the award:

1. by the end of 2015, the removal of the shelters located on the immediate border of the Vashlovani Strict Nature Reserve, and the rigorous enforcement of the existing regulation for grazing in the reserve;

2. to accelerate the drafting process of a comprehensive sustainable grazing management plan, taking into account the socio-economic context and the effects of grazing, positive and negative, on the long-term conservation of the features of the Vashlovani Protected Areas. A draft will be submitted to the Group of Specialists on the European Diploma by the end of 2016, with alternative grazing areas located at a reasonable distance from the borders of the zones where these activities are forbidden. The Committee of Ministers also urged Georgia to enforce the existing regulation on grazing in the whole Diploma area, without delay, and to limit grazing activities to the carrying capacity for the Vashlovani Protected Areas.

The Committee of Ministers also gave seven recommendations to the Georgian authorities in this regard. Read the full text of the Resolution with recommendations here.