Georgia’s oldest protected area benefits from SMART technology

Lagodekhi is Georgia's oldest protected area established more than a century ago, in 1912. It covers up to 25,000 hectares of woodlands, rivers and lakes and is famous for its diverse climate zones, pristine landscapes and tourist attractions. Lagodekhi is also home to a range of endangered and rare species, such as East Caucasian Tur, red deer, brown bear, Caucasian Grouse, Caucasian Snowcock, Caucasian oak and Caucasian persimmon.

The Agency of Protected Areas under Georgia's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture manages this vast terrain to safeguard natural treasures from illegal hunting and logging and collect information about biodiversity and climate change.

To help the rank of 20 professional rangers fulfil their daunting and sometimes dangerous patrolling task, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF), with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), equipped them with modern biodiversity monitoring technology.

The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) enables rangers to use smartphones and tablets to collect real-time information on poaching incidents and wildlife sightings and detect signs of plant infestation. Data collected during patrols are being processed in a unified database, with software then shaping the choice and frequency of ranger patrol routes.

Twelve protected areas are now piloting the SMART technology to then introduce it to Georgia's all 93 protected areas in 2023.

UNDP and CNF assisted the Agency of Protected Areas to purchase the SMART equipment and train over 260 officers and rangers through face-to-face courses, practical exercises and a specially created e-learning platform. The platform offers rangers SMART tutorials and other training programmes focused on biodiversity monitoring, plant diseases, tourist trail management and visitor services. It also helps rangers to manage poaching incidents and other violations and illegal actions. The e-learning platform was created by the civil society organization 'Environment and Development', using UNDP's corporate e-learning tool as a model.

Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Yuri Nozadze, Chairperson of the Agency of Protected Areas David Iosebashvili, UNDP Deputy Representative Anna Chernyshova and Executive Director of the Caucasus Nature Fund Tobias Muenchmeyer visited Lagodekhi National Park on 5 July.