Georgia is one of the few countries globally where protected areas are a genuine high level national priority. Significant progress is made with the expansion of the protected areas network in the past decades, supported by legislative-institutional reforms, and the country is committed to increase the area under formal protection to 20% protection (from current 8%) in the next 8 years. Despite progress made, threats to globally significant biodiversity in Georgia from socio-economic development as well as climate change are exacerbated by ineffective implementation and enforcement of legislation and policies on Protected Areas.

With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), twelve target protected areas will get sustainable financing to support operating costs, site-level technical assistance and capacity building, on financial-administrative planning, budgeting and accounting, tourism development, management effectiveness assessment, and operational management. Awareness raising improves societal acceptance and support of protected areas.