“Forest Protection Is Our Priority, and a Major Reform Is Being Implemented in This Direction,” Says Davit Songulashvili

Davit Songulashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, attended the handover of off-road vehicles and specialized technical equipment to the regional units of the National Forestry Agency of Georgia. He was accompanied by Deputy Minister Giorgi Tskrialashvili and Head of the National Forestry Agency Besik Amiranashvili.

To prevent illegal logging and transportation of timber, as well as to improve the effectiveness of forestry operations, the National Forestry Agency has procured additional equipment, including 45 off-road vehicles, 14 drones, 300 camera traps, and body cameras.

According to Davit Songulashvili, strengthening the agency’s capabilities is one of the key components of the forestry reform. Plans include fully equipping forest rangers and optimizing their areas of responsibility to further enhance operational efficiency.

“Forest protection is our priority, and therefore an important reform in forest management is underway. One of the key components of the reform is crime prevention, for which it is crucial to strengthen and technically equip the forestry agency. I am confident that the steps taken will fully ensure the achievement of our main goal—protecting forests and preventing crime,” said Davit Songulashvili.

According to Besik Amiranashvili, within the ongoing forestry reform, additional measures are предусмотрены in the 2026 budget to further increase the agency’s efficiency. These include the purchase of 54 additional off-road vehicles, as well as equipping forest rangers with radio transmitters and electronic tablets.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia is implementing a major reform in the forestry sector. As part of the reform, the function of physical forest protection is being returned to the National Forestry Agency. An additional 401 forest rangers will be recruited, reducing the protected area per ranger from 10,000–15,000 hectares to an average of 2,000 hectares. Within the reform framework, forest rangers’ salaries have also been doubled.