World Environment Day was marked with a large-scale clean-up campaign near the Jvari Monastery.
The event was held within the framework of the volunteer platform “Forest Friend”, which aims to involve the private sector and volunteers in the protection and restoration of forests.
Students from various universities, representatives of the private sector, and volunteers took part in the clean-up. As a symbolic gesture, five coniferous saplings were planted on the slopes of Jvari Monastery.
It is noteworthy that under the “Forest Friend” project, a forestation plan has been developed for 31 hectares around the Jvari Monastery area. A new forest will be created with the participation of the public and private sectors. The slope of the monastery is divided into 140 plots, and over time, depending on the seasons, 25,300 trees and shrubs of various species will be planted. Volunteers, under the supervision of the Forest Agency, will also take care of and maintain the planted areas. The forest to be planted on the slopes of Jvari Monastery will be the first precedent of this scale and significance.
The “Forest Friend” project serves as a model of forest care, volunteer engagement, and shared environmental responsibility.
The National Forestry Agency ensures the selection of areas for reforestation and care, the preparation of forest restoration projects, and supervision of related activities. The main goal of the project is to unite society around environmental responsibility. It is important that the platform attracts not only groups of volunteers but also the private sector, including large companies.
The platform allows both individuals and companies to register as volunteers and participate physically in various activities related to forest care and restoration; to make donations in any amount to support reforestation projects; or to select and fully or partially fund specific reforestation projects.
(Read more at: https://forestfriend.ge/about)
The “Forest Friend” volunteer platform was established at the initiative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and the National Forestry Agency, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN).
World Environment Day has been celebrated since 1973 under the initiative of the United Nations and is dedicated each year to a current environmental issue. The theme of World Environment Day 2025 is “Beat Plastic Pollution.”
Agencies under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture organized various events to mark the day. In Lagodekhi, the Agency of Protected Areas held the final event of the educational project “I Protect the Nature of My Country.” The National Environmental Agency celebrated the day in Batumi with a demonstration of a waterborne waste-collecting drone and a beach clean-up action. The Environmental Information and Education Center organized an info-tour and an exhibition of student works in the Ministry’s courtyard.
