Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands

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Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands
Kolkheti1122.jpg
Pichori river in the Kolkheti National Park
LocationGeorgia
Nearest cityBatumi, Poti
Coordinates41°42′8.2″N 41°57′4.32″E / 41.702278°N 41.9512000°E / 41.702278; 41.9512000Coordinates: 41°42′8.2″N 41°57′4.32″E / 41.702278°N 41.9512000°E / 41.702278; 41.9512000
Area312.53 km2 (120.67 sq mi)
Established2021
Governing bodyAgency of Protected Areas of Georgia
CriteriaNatural: (ix)(x)
Reference1616
Inscription2021 (44th Session)

The Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Georgia, which comprises parts of the Colchis Lowland along some 80 km of western Georgia's Black Sea coastline. It was inscribed by UNESCO on 26 July 2021, becoming the first site in Georgia to be added to the list for its natural attributes.[1]

The site includes a series of ecosystems such as deciduous rainforests and wetlands, percolation bogs and other mire types, located at a range of altitudes from the sea level to more than 2,500 metres above it. The extremely humid broad-leaved rainforests comprise a highly diverse flora and fauna, with a number of endemic and relict species, some surviving the glacial cycles of the Tertiary. The site is home to nearly 1,100 species of vascular and non-vascular plants, including 44 threatened species, and some 500 species of vertebrates. It further harbors 19 threatened animal species including the critically endangered Colchic sturgeon. The region is a key stopover for many globally threatened birds that migrate through the Batumi bottleneck.[2][3] The total area of the site is 31,253 ha, with the buffer zone of 26,850 ha.[2]

The Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands site consists of seven component parts — Kintrishi-Mtirala and Ispani in Adjara, Grigoleti and Imnati in Guria, and Pitshora, Nabada, and Churia in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.[2] They are administered in Georgia as parts of the Kolkheti National Park, Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve, Kobuleti Protected Areas, and Mtirala National Park.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Georgia's Colchic Rainforests, Wetlands Granted World Heritage Status". Civil Georgia. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  3. ^ "UNESCO announced Georgian Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands as world heritage". Caucasus Nature Fund. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.

External links[]

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