The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park (BKNP) ( ka, ბორჯომ-ხარაგაულის ეროვნული პარკი, ''borjom-kharagaulis erovnuli parki'') is a protected area in central Georgia, in Samtskhe-Javakheti situated in the Lesser Caucasus, southwest to the nation's capital of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

.Borjomi-Kharagauli in Georgia
''Protected Planet'' 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 ...

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 ...

. One of the largest national parks in Georgia, Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park includes six

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

Borjomi Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia, 160 km from Tbilisi, with a population of 11,122 (2021). It is one of the municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern ...

Kharagauli Kharagauli ( ka, ხარაგაული) is an administrative center of Kharagauli district in Georgia. It is situated on both banks of river in a narrow and deep gorge, 280-400m above the sea level. Founding It was founded as a railway s ...

Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region ('' mkhare'') of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is situated on both banks of a small river Potskhovi (a l ...

, Adigeni, Khashuri and

Baghdati Baghdati ( ka, ბაღდათი, tr) is a town of 3,700 people in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistsqali, a tributary of the Rioni. Geography The town is located at the edge of the ...

- stretching from the resort of

to the town of

. Together with adjacent Borjomi Nature Reserve, the total area is 851 square kilometres, i.e. more than 1 % of the total territory of Georgia. The park was founded in 1995 and officially inaugurated in 2001. Its particular uniqueness is diversity of geographical and ecological zones, landscapes, historical monuments and rich flora and fauna. The park has rapidly developing tourist infrastructure.

History

Borjomi Kharaguli National Park - Georgia (5)

The history of the park dates back to Medieval times when it was used primarily by the local aristocracy for hunting. When Georgia lost its independence and became part of the Russian Empire, the Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich was given the post of

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

. He found the local beauty of the Borjomi park so impressive he decided to build his personal summer residence there. Noticeable changes to the park came when the Grand Duke Michael restricted any lumbering or hunting without permission, thus laying the foundation for the park's future. In 1995, the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park was endorsed and created with the support of the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the W ...

and the German government, and was officially inaugurated in 2001.

Environmental Concerns

The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline skirts the edge of this National Park and crosses its

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

. The decision to run the BTC Pipeline near this pristine region drew considerable ire from environmental groups who allege that a leak could disrupt the Borjomi ecosystem. These groups also point out that the area is a source of frequent landslides that could increase the chance of a breach of the pipeline. They also allege that simply building a pipeline in this region will have a negative effect on sales of Borjomi mineral water. Mineral water makes up a significant portion of Georgia exports. In August 2008, more than three square kilometres of forest in the park were burnt in what Georgia claimed was an ecocide by

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

.Main hearths of fire localised in Borjomi-Kharagauli forest reserve

References

External links

Official website

Article by Giga Chikhladze
{{authority control National parks of Georgia (country) Protected areas established in 1995 Geography of Samtskhe–Javakheti Tourist attractions in Samtskhe–Javakheti

History

Environmental Concerns

See also

References

External links