Ratcha Needs Large National park - WWF Opposes Construction of Cascades
The Caucasus office of WWF has issued a statement regarding the construction of cascades in Ratcha.
The World Wide Fund for Nature supports the idea of constructing cascades on a proper place, but mentions, that Ratcha does not need hydroelectric power station, but a large national park.
The fund opposes every project, which do not meet internationally founded standards and their development does not come along with the best practice principles.
According to the report, Georgia is rich in hydropower resources, and the country should take the benefits from it, but Ratcha and the river Rioni are not a proper place for that:
- The region consists of a seismically overly sensitive geological balance, which increases the risk of possible catastrophic developments;
- Rioni's floodplains have international ecosystem importance in the ecosystem;
- Rioni is an ecosystem of highly conservational value - it is one of the several rivers in the world, where endangered sturgeon species are still multiplying under natural conditions.
- It will bring damage to genetic diversity, which is characterized by unique agro-biodiversity and cultural heritage, for instance, unique varieties of vines.
As the fund declares, convention on bio-diversity states that approximately 17% of the country's land area should be covered by protected areas.
By arranging the national park in Ratcha, they will protect nature, the land will be alienated, locals will be employed and the national park will attract the tourists.
"arranging the national park was planned, but as a request of the government, it was rescheduled and still has not been established. Several other protected areas are in the same condition. We have an impression, that technocratic part of the state blocks the development of protected areas in Georgia. In spite of this, we do not lose hope that the current delay is temporary and park arranging works will be successfully continued.", is noted in the statement.