Another Giant Tree for Ivanishvili's Arboretum

Ruling Georgian Dream (GD) founder, Chair and ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has bought another giant tree for his arboretum in Ureki, in the Guria region of Georgia.

The photo was released by the media outlet Netgazeti, which reports the tree was seen on the Grigoleti-Poti road, ready to be transported to the arboretum.

It is well known that over recent years, billionaire Ivanishvili, who is the richest man in this small, post-Soviet country, has been transporting giant and unique trees from around Georgia to his personal arboretum in the coastal Ajara region. 

Sometimes the trees are so large that other trees are cut down during the process of removal or branches are cut from trees on private property to make space.

Moreover, very often the holes made after uprooting the centuries-old giant trees, are left unfilled.

In August last year, Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Levan Davitashvili released a statement about Ivanishvili's arboretum, saying it would be opened to the public.

“Georgia will have a unique dendrological park. The fact is that with the goodwill of Bidzina Ivanishvili, another important project is underway in our country. In fact, a new monument of nature is being created. It is simply absurd to say that arranging such a unique place has a negative impact on the environment," says Davitashvili's statement, which was released by the Ministry on August 1.

The Minister claimed the implementation of the project will have social and economic benefits because private companies are involved in the process, and “special techniques and equipment have been brought to Georgia that will be involved in various infrastructural projects in the future.”

According to Davitashvili, Ivanishvili’s Cartu Fund spends millions of GEL arranging roads and infrastructure in the areas where the trees are transported. He claims the local population also profits from the process because some trees are private property and Ivanishvili buys them.

Ivanishvili first received permission to begin moving trees in December 2015. Since then, every time he targets a new tree, the opposition and environmentalists slam the government; however, the Ministry of Environment stated several times the process is entirely legal.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: Netgazeti

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