Grant Agreement has been signed between Agency of Protected Areas and Caucasus Nature Fund, that has been signed by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Gigla Agulashvili, acting Chairperson of the Agency of Protected Areas, Tamar Kvantaliani, and the Executive Director of Caucasus Nature Fund, George Giacomini. The Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) has allocated 240 000 EUR to the Protected Areas of Georgia.

The agreement covers the period 2017-2019, and according to it the Caucasus Nature Fund will cover a number of operational expenses relating to the functions and activities of Lagodekhi Protected Areas from 2017 to 2019. More specifically, the grant will cover salary top-ups for Protected Areas Staff (including rangers), infrastructure development, arrangement of parking place, renovation of a car park and much-needed biodiversity monitoring activities carried out in the Protected Area.

The Caucasus Nature Fund has been cooperating with the Agency of Protected Areas for several years, and has made a significant contribution to infrastructure development and the motivation of key staff in the ten protected areas that it supports. CNF’s support for Lagodekhi started in 2011, and since then Lagodekhi has made significant progress in a number of operational areas, including patrolling and monitoring capabilities and tourist infrastructure development.