According to the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili, the government is planning to establish an area with a special protection status in Racha, which includes the forests of Racha and the surrounding areas of the villages. According to her, the creation of a protected area will not be compatible with the hunting farm license issued to David Khidasheli earlier, and the Ministry is taking appropriate measures to cancel it.
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Nino Tandilashvili told the media that the municipality will be responsible for managing the new protected area, and the local population will be actively involved in the process.
‘’There is a question in the society as to what’s happening with the hunting license in Racha. This license was issued about a year ago, subject to specific conditions. These territories have not been alienated to anyone, they are still state property. We saw in May that the licensee was not fulfilling the terms and obligations of the license. The state, namely the Department of Environmental Supervision, started imposing fines in accordance with the law.
Our legislation sets specific requirements for in which case the validity of the license can be terminated, and there are certain stages. The state acts in accordance with the legislation and we cannot terminate any license or permit to any investor at our own will, ignoring the requirements of the law. That is now in progress.
Granting the status of a special protection area, in turn, will lead to a review of the license. The establishment of a protected area cannot be compatible with this type of license,’’ said Tandilashvili
According to the deputy minister, the government will present the draft law on the creation of a new protected area to the parliament in the spring session, and until then they will actively work with the local government and the population.
‘’We want to establish a protected area of such status that will not prevent the locals from continuing their traditional activities, using natural resources, and will support the development of ecotourism in the region, which is very important for the country.
It will further revitalize the Racha region, where we have international organizations interested in helping the local population with specific socio-economic support projects,
So naturally, the involvement of the state will be important,’’ said Tandilashvili. She also emphasized that ‘’no one should try to pass off this whole process, which the Ministry has started together with the local government, as their own effort.’’
On March 23, 2020, the Government of Georgia transferred 104,712 hectares of forest in Racha and Kvemo Svaneti to HG Capra Caucasica LLC for 49 years. This decision, which the government kept secret, was publicized by Mountain Stories. The publication had to start legal proceedings to obtain public documents. Mountain Stories revealed that the said company belongs to the partner of the sanctioned Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov, David Khidasheli. The forests transferred to Khidasheli border the Georgia-Russia border and the Tskhinvali region, already occupied by Russia.
In July 2022, the community organization of Racha and Green Alternative appealed the decision to transfer the forests of Racha and Kvemo Svaneti to Khidasheli for half a century in the Tbilisi City Court and are demanding its cancellation. The court accepted the lawsuit, but the case has not yet moved forward.
On July 17, 2023, Mountain Stories published a journalistic investigation - occupation of Racha forests, where many violations of the law, facts of falsification of documents for the transfer of forests to Khidasheli, and security-related problems were revealed.
On July 24, Green Alternative and the Center of Civil Activities appealed to the General Prosecutor's Office. The non-governmental organizations requested the initiation of an investigation into the possible facts of official fraud and bribery against the former mayor of Oni municipality, Emzar Sabanadze, and his first deputy, Dimitri Sakvarelidze.
On July 26, the members of the Parliament of Georgia Tamar Kordzaia, Teona Akubardia, and Khatuna Samnidze held a press conference and demanded an investigation of violations from the prosecutor's office. They got to know the details of the case on the spot and met the residents of the villages.
The non-governmental organization Center of Civil Activities protects the interests of about 30 families living in the village of Utsera, who, after the transfer of forests to Khidasheli, had their ancestral lands confiscated and criminal cases started against them.
For several weeks, the movement "to save the Rioni Valley" and the residents of the border villages of Racha have been holding a continuous protest in Oni. They have pitched their tent near the Oni City Hall.
