Developing Adjara’s Coastal Zone in the Context of Climate Change
The Network of Caucasus NGOs for Environment Protection (CENN) organized a conference on Prospects of Developing Adjara’s Coastal Zone in the Context of Climate Change, at Sheraton Batumi Hotel, on March 2.
Numerous state and private sector, NGO and educational sector representatives participated in the event alongside the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection, Parliament of Georgia, ENPARD: Support to Agriculture and Rural Development Program, National Environment Agency of Georgia, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, and the Government of Adjara region.
The seven-hour four-section session centered on a discussion of Adjara’s coastal zone development and potential; its climate and morpho-dynamics development perspectives and challenges; the methods used for safeguarding the Black Sea coastline; and analysis of the outcomes and recommendations. The fourth session was set aside for initiation of the State Program for Black Sea Coastline Protection.
“The goal of this conference is to discuss Black Sea coastal zone development perspectives affected by climate change,” said Nana Janashia, CENN Executive Director. “The state program for Black Sea coastal zone protection will detail what needs to be done. We have vast experience of initiating such state programs that we’ve lobbied and which have been approved and are working. The fact that we’ve been joined by every ministry, the Adjara government and the Parliament of Georgia means that they realize the importance of the issue.”
It was highlighted during the conference that the process of coastal zone wash-out is speeding up, and is expected to only increase in strength as a result of climate change. The problem is caused by two major factors: global warming, which causes the sea level to rise and an increase in wave energy, and human agricultural activities affecting the environment.
“During the 20th century, the coastline moved back about 400 meters at the outfall of the River Chorokhi,” Janashia said.
“The morpho-dynamics of Adjara coastal zone development is considered to contain high risks for natural disasters. Risks are still higher with high-wave sea storms. Even during storms of scale 3 or 4, houses in the coastal zone are damaged, as is the infrastructure, leading to inhabitants becoming eco migrants,” Janashia added.
Chichiko Janelidze, Doctor of Geography, said that the prognosis of risk made by scientists is not taken into consideration. “Beaches are washed away everywhere and, paradoxically, we’re not considering the danger of the sea level already having risen by one meter just this century. Buildings are being constructed right on the coast, in a zone that will clearly be at high risk in future,” said Dr. Janelidze.
The conference was also attended by oceanologist Alexander Khorava and Zurab Janalidze, Associate Professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi.
Zurab Alavidze, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, was only available to attend the opening of the conference, addressing the participants with the words: “We’re delighted to be gathered in Batumi to discuss such issues as climate change and the problems it causes to the Black Sea coastal zone”. He then thanked CENN for the conference and said that he had to leave to meet with a contractor of a coastline protection project to discuss “concrete topics”. The minister had no opportunity to listen to the themes of the event, to the risks identified by the specialists or to what should be done to protect the coastline in the future.
The minister was attending the launch of a coastal protection project on Batumi Boulevard, on a two kilometer stretch of land between the new boulevard and the airport. The minister announced that GEL 30 million is to be assigned for the project, with completion expected in 2018. The project will also be extended to Kobuleti beach this year.
Back at Sheraton Batumi, geographers and scientists continued to discuss what needs to be done to protect the Black Sea coastal zone, including what activities and initiatives must be implemented. Chichiko Janelidze noted that the coastal protection works will be insufficient if not planned within a larger scale, with Poti coastline protection activities also taken into consideration. As the discussion drew to a close, it appeared that neither the scientists nor the Environment Protection Agency representatives had any concrete information on the State Program for Black Sea Coastline Protection.
Nino Khimshiashvili