Adopt a Tree for $5: Restore Borjomi Forest Campaign

Borjomi National Park is one of the largest in Europe, with a variety of unique plants and rare trees.

Agadgine.ge is a new campaign initiated by the Business Information Agency (BIA) and Treepex Startup aimed at restoring the areas of  Borjomi Forest severely burned during the 2008 August War. A 950-hectare area consisting of pine and leafy forest was damaged, with 250 hectares completely destroyed. Over the years, the ecological situation has become increasingly difficult as the damaged areas are not renewing themselves naturally, leading to the risk of landslides and floods. The local population has lost social benefits and economic revenue from the forest and the air quality has also worsened considerably, causing a threat to the health of individuals living in and visiting the area. The only hope is human intervention.

The first-of-its-kind in Georgia campaign offers both individuals and companies the chance to adopt trees, which will be planted and cared for during the first five years of their lives. Companies that contribute to the restoration of an area of forest will have that area named after the company. The restored area and number of trees within will be clearly visible on a map which will also display the company's logo. The map can then be integrated with the company's own website and social media platform, clearly displaying the CSR policy of the donor company. Individuals can also buy a tree, name it and have it mapped.

A calculator will count the amount of emissions absorbed by the trees planted, and a certificate proving tree planting and forest restoration will be given to donors.

At time of press, 3,524 of the planned 750,000 trees have been adopted. The “deadline” for this massive restoration is August 8 of this year—the anniversary of the war that damaged the area.

One eager participant in forest restoration this year is PASHA Bank. “In 2016, we decided that in 2017 PASHA Bank would actively participate in green projects, and we’ve made a number of serious steps in that direction,” said Anano Korkia, the marketing manager of PASHA Bank. “One of the first things we did was to plant 2017 Georgian pine trees in Borjomi-Kharagauli Park, towards the rehabilitation of the burned forest. It was a symbolic New Year gift for our partners. This project was important both in terms of rehabilitation works and in terms of raising awareness about the problem. We hope that more private sector representatives will join this generous initiative.”

The website is currently only in Georgian but there are plans to have it translated into English soon. At present, with help from a Georgian speaker, it is very easy to fill in your personal or company details and adopt a tree.

Go to: aghadgine.ge/ka

By Nino Gugunishvili

Photo:  Burned Forest of Borjomi: "During the war between Russia and Georgia, in August 2008, the territory of Borjomi National Park was bombed by Russian aircraft several times, which caused a forest fire. This photo was shot a couple of months later, spots of new grass burst through the ashes. Nika Tsiklauri