The Tusheti National Park in eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

is one of the eight new protected areas approved by Parliament of Georgia on 22 April 2003.Tusheti in Georgia
''Protected Planet'' The

Global Environment Facility The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs ...

(GEF) and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

were part of this approval process under the "Georgia – Protected Areas Development Project". Plants conserved in the park are pine groves ('' Pinus sosnowskyi'') and birch groves ('' Betula litwinowii'' and ''

Betula raddeana ''Betula raddeana'' is a species of plant in the Betulaceae family. It is found in Georgia and Russia. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural h ...

''). The ''Tusheti Protected Areas'' includes Tusheti National Park, Tusheti Protected Landscape and Tusheti Strict Nature Reserve with total protected area about 113,660.2 ha.Tusheti protected area, Georgia
/ref> The key faunal species in the park are the

Anatolian leopard ''Panthera pardus tulliana'' is a leopard subspecies native to the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Turkey, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan. Since 2016, i ...

(''Panthera pardus ambornii''), bear,

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Ril ...

, falcon,

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

lammergeyer The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate mi ...

, lynx,

wild goat The wild goat (''Capra aegagrus'') is a wild goat species, inhabiting forests, shrublands and rocky areas ranging from Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. It has been listed as near threatene ...

and wolf. The park was named one of the "12 best places you’ve never heard of" by BudgetTravel in 2011 not only for its rich biodiversity but also for its aesthetic terrain, hamlets, old defense towers, cuisine, and folk culture.

Location

The park is set in the Tusheti Mountainous region in the north-eastern part of the country. It is away from

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

with the en route Alvani lying away. Omalo-Alvani highway of length is in a hilly terrain and is difficult to drive. The visitor center to the parks and reserves of Tusheti is located along the of the main watershed ridge of

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

in lower

Omalo Omalo ( ka, ომალო) is a principal village in the historical region of Tusheti, Georgia. Administratively, it is part of the Akhmeta District in Kakheti. It lies between the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and the Pirikita Range of Tushet ...

. Its

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

is that of the

Caucasus mixed forests The Caucasus mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains. Geography The ecoregion covers an area of , ext ...

Features

The park has an approved land area of , which lies within an elevation range of . The main functions of the park administration are to provide protection and conserve the flora and fauna of the park concurrently supporting the interests of the 50 nomadic communities, and achieving conservation of the linked historic monuments; and also to encourage eco-tourism. For the endangered

(''Capra aegagrus'') the park is the only intact habitat. To protect this species from poaching and enable its viewing in the park by visitors, the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation & Research (NACRES), an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

member, carried out a pilot project titled "viewing potential" by monitoring the "risks and benefits to conservation and the cost of setting up and operation of wildlife viewing trails." The local partners associated with this study were Tusheti Guide and Friends of Tusheti Protected Areas. A wild goat monitoring scheme was established, and local guides, park rangers and local groups were trained to ensure protection to the wild goat. The project has proved successful as more visitors could view the goat now, and NACRES is continuing its support.

Fauna

In Tusheti National Park, there are seven mammals, ten birds and one fish which are on the Georgia Red List.Biodiversity of Tusheti Protected areas
/ref> Mammals are represented by

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kno ...

, tur,

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and

barbastelle ''Barbastella'' is a genus of vespertilionid bats. There are seven extant species in this genus and one only known from fossil remains. Species The genus consists of the following species: * ''Barbastella barbastellus'' – western barbastelle ...

. Birds, including some rare species, are common in the park. They include the

imperial eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of the ...

greater spotted eagle The greater spotted eagle (''Clanga clanga''), occasionally called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs indicate it is a member of the subfamily Aquilinae ...

lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer bird migration, migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometim ...

corncrake The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff- ...

steppe eagle The steppe eagle (''Aquila nipalensis'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted ...

black kite The black kite (''Milvus migrans'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have ...

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

Montagu's harrier Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Taxonomy The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish na ...

Caucasian grouse The Caucasian grouse or Caucasian black grouse (''Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi'') is a large bird in the grouse family. It is closely related to the black grouse (''L. tetrix''). Description As with many Galliformes, gamebirds, the cock (male) is large ...

and

Caucasian snowcock The Caucasian snowcock (''Tetraogallus caucasicus'') is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is native to the Caucasus Mountains, particularly the Western Caucasus, where it breeds at a ...

Trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

is the only one species of fish on the list.

Gallery

File:Tusheti 15.jpg, Tusheti National Park File:The Ranger Station.JPG, A ranger station in the park File:Tushethi2.jpg, Another view of the park 268A7364.jpg 268A7513.jpg 268A6971.jpg 268A6912.jpg 268A6819 tusheti.jpg 268A6875.jpg 268A6891.jpg 268A6547.jpg 268A6229.jpg 268A5984 HDR.jpg 268A5992 HDR.jpg 268A5780.jpg 268A5671.jpg 268A5504.jpg 268A5511.jpg 268A5522.jpg 268A5435.jpg DJI 0074tusheti.jpg IMG 7634tusheti.jpg IMG 7800tu.jpg თუშეთი 11.jpg თუშეთი 12.jpg თუშეთი 2.jpg თუშეთი.jpg თუშეთი 4.jpg თუშეთი 1.jpg

References

{{authority control National parks of Georgia (country) Protected areas established in 2003 Geography of Kakheti Tourist attractions in Kakheti 2003 establishments in Georgia (country)

Location

Features

Fauna

Gallery

See also

References