The reserve is located in Borjomi district.
The reserve is located in Borjomi district.
Established in 1929.
The area is 17 948 ha.
The administration is based within the reserve territory.
The mandate of the nature reserve is to protect the forest massifs of the Borjomi gorge and the protection of Caucasian deer.
The relief is complex, major unit is the mount of Lomi (2200 m). The altitude range of the reserve is 1200 m (between 800 - 2000 m).
The reserve occupies the area on the edge of three different natural units and this features the complexity of its landscapes. Here passes the natural border between the Eastern and Western parts of the country. From one side there is an influence of Western humid and worm climate with its reach plant cover, on the other hand -- relatively strict conditions of the Eastern Georgia, where the forest gradually pass to steppes. Towards the Akhalkalaki highlands the climate is continental and the flora -- xerophitic.
An average annual air temperature is 6.1 degrees, January -- 2.1, August -- 20.1, average precipitation --
687 mm.
The reserve is reach of rivers and streams. There is a significant number of mineral water sources.
The forests occupy 85 % of the territory and are dominated by needle leaf forests. More then 60 Kolkhic plant species have been registered in the reserve: cherry-laurel (laurocerasus officinalis), rhododendron ponticum, ilex colchica, chestnut (castanea), yew (taxus), buck thorn (frangula alnus), etc. The forest complexes are formed by Kolkhic fagus forests with evergreen sub forests, characteristic for the Western Georgia. Further to the south dominate pinus sosnowskyi and its sub forest is composed of species like jupiner (juniperus), astragalus caucasicus, meadow sweet (spiraea), haw-thorn (crataegus), cornel (cornus mas), dog-rose (rosa kanina), etc. There are also silver fir (abies), ostrya carpinifolia horn beam (carpinus), alder (alnus), birch (betula), maple (acer) and some other tree species present.
The fauna: red deer (cervus eaphus), roe deer (capreolus capreolus), chamois (rupicarpa rupicarpa), brown bear (ursus arctos), wild cat (felis silvestris), lynx (felis lynx), badger (martes meles), otter (lutra lutra), marten (martes martes), squirrel (sciunus), etc. Among the bird species one should mention aquilia chrysaetus fulva, black-cock (lyrurus), cross bill (loxia curvirostra curvirostra), thrush (turdus), woodpecker (picus), etc. There are also snakes, lizards (lacerta), Caucasian salamander (mertensiella caucasia), etc.
The reserve is surrounded by forest massifs and, therefore, the natural system is not isolated; at the same time, there are settlements in these neighboring forests.Their hunting activities affect seriously the reserve. It would be more appropriate to include the whole Borjomi gorge into the nature reserve. One of the most significant issues for the nature reserve has been the appearance of parasite called dendroctonus micans. This was the reason for extensive preventive cutting of the large numbers of affected trees. This resulted the formation of access roads with adverse consequences.