World Environment Day: EU and Emerald Network help protect Georgia’s lakes and wildlife
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5 June. It raises awareness about pressing environmental challenges and inspires collective action for a healthier planet.
A key contribution to these efforts is the Emerald Network — a pan-European ecological effort, established under the Bern Convention to preserve Europe’s biodiversity. The network safeguards the most valuable natural areas and habitats, protecting rare species and ensuring coordinated efforts to conserve biodiversity.
Rescued from extinction
A prime example comes from Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti region, where alpine lakes and volcanic plateaus offer refuge to rare birds. The Bugdasheni, Khanchali, Madatapa, and Tabatskuri Lakes are designated as Emerald sites due to their role in supporting vulnerable bird species such as the Velvet Scoter, Dalmatian Pelican, Common Pochard, and Eastern Imperial Eagle.
Lake Tabatskuri has become the centre of a remarkable conservation story. Once thought extinct in the Caucasus, a tiny population of Velvet Scoter was rediscovered at the lake in 2014 by conservation biologist Nika Paposhvili.
However, the survival of these birds was precarious. Of approximately 25-30 breeding birds, only six females successfully produced young in 2017. Villagers routinely hunted the birds and collected eggs from their nests. Some became entangled in illegal fishing nets and drowned.
Determined to save the last Velvet Scoters in the Caucasus, Nika spent three summers in Tabatskuri village. Through years of patient work and community engagement, helping with farm chores, Nika gained the villagers’ trust.
Over time, he showed the villagers that the live birds were of much more value to them, as birdwatchers began visiting the area, which helped boost the communities’ livelihoods from eco-tourism.
Since 2020, illegal egg collection and hunting have stopped completely and in 2024, the population of the birds had multiplied sevenfold, with 45 pairs of Velvet Scoters successfully breeding on Lake Tabatskuri. Since 2020, illegal egg collection and hunting have stopped completely.
Commitment to ecosystem preservation and community involvement
The designation of the Javakheti Lakes as Emerald Network sites is a clear recognition of the Georgia’s dedication to protect these ecosystems. But success ultimately depends on the country’s, including local communities’, commitment to manage and nurture natural assets such as protected areas and ensuring equitable sharing of the benefits with communities.
Across the Eastern Partnership region, the EU4Environment Programme is helping countries to expand protected areas, improve ecosystem management, and involve local communities.
In Georgia, the Programme aims to support the practical implementation of the Bern Convention by enhancing the Emerald Network. A key objective is to embed the Network’s requirements and conservation goals into the country’s forest management practices, aligning them with the EU’s Natura 2000 Network and nature directives.
In doing so, the Programme also advances Georgia’s national conservation priorities as outlined in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. To ensure effective implementation, it promotes the exchange of European expertise and best practices in sustainable forest resource management, engaging policymakers and forest practitioners across all levels.
The example of Lake Tabatskuri shows how protecting nature serves everyone — from the rarest wildlife to the most remote communities. Caring for nature is not just about the environment; it’s about our future and the well-being of the generations to come.
The original story was published by the EU4Environment programme
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