Recovering Ecosystem of Iori Plateau- New Generation of Gazelles Born in the Valley
The joint project of the Agency for Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which involves the restoration of the gazelle population in Georgia, is being successfully implemented. To date, the seventh generation of gazelle has been born in the Samukh Valley, and the number has exceeded 200 individuals.
The beautiful species of gazelles, which was quite common until the 60s, became extinct as a result of urbanization and poaching. In 2013, with the involvement of the Agency of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, the gazelle population restoration project was launched. The first generation, 10 individuals, were brought from Azerbaijan, Shirvan National Park, and released for the first time in decades, in the historical environment - Samukhi Valley.
The Agency for Protected Areas and the World Wildlife Fund are constantly monitoring the Vashlovani Protected Areas, both to study the number of gazelles and to provide a safe environment for them. Restoration of gazelles is one of the main priorities of Georgian environmentalists today. Ecosystems on the Iori plateau are impossible to recover without this animal.
Gazelle Restoration Project is an initiative of the Government of Georgia and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), with the financial support of the Government of Germany (KfW) and the active involvement of the Government of Azerbaijan.