G.Info:State of the Environment Georgia - Environmental Institutions

Within the past year, largely due to the passage of Georgia's Constitution and the on-going consideration of the country's Civil Code, Georgia's Parliament has created an opportunity for greater public input into the nation's decision-making process. The recent and continuing democratic reforms present tremendous possibilities (and responsibilities) for Georgia's public to participate in critical decisions which will have a long-term effect on the protection of the country's fragile but unique environmental resources. Undoubtedly, Georgia's environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) will have a major role to play in this process.

As articulated in late February by the Minister of Environment at a UNEP Biodiversity Conference organized cooperatively with the Georgian non-governmental organization, Noah's Ark for the Recovery of Endangered Species (NACRES), the short- and long-term protection of Georgia's environmental resources critically depends on effective communications and cooperation between the governmental, the scientific and the non-governmental sectors. In particular, the NGO sector has a wealth of information and human resources to contribute to the overall strategy of protecting the environment.