The State Audit Office says Georgia has not updated its Red List of endangered species within the timeframe required by law, raising concerns about the effectiveness of efforts to protect biodiversity.
Georgia is internationally recognized for its rich biodiversity and is located in a Caucasus biodiversity hotspot. However, the audit found that many measures aimed at protecting species listed in the country’s Red List remain incomplete.
The Red List, based on 2014 data, includes 139 animal species and 56 species of woody plants. A significant number are classified as endangered or critically endangered, while five species became extinct in the 20th century.
The audit assessed measures implemented between 2020 and 2024 by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, the LEPL Agency of Protected Areas, and the LEPL National Wildlife Agency.
Auditors found that the 2014-2020 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan included goals to update the Red List and improve the conservation status of protected species. However, several key tasks were not completed within the planned timeframe and remain unresolved in 2026.
The report notes that the Red List, originally compiled in 2006, was not updated within the 10-year period required by legislation. Although the list was reapproved in 2014, no species were added or removed and no conservation statuses were revised.
The State Audit Office also found that reliable information on the condition of biodiversity in Georgia remains limited. Data collection on species, habitats, and ecosystems is not carried out systematically across the country.
The audit says the current system for updating the Red List does not meet international best practices. It argues that the Ministry does not play a sufficiently strong coordinating role and has not selected a specific model for updating the list from internationally recognized approaches.
“The process of updating the Red List in the country is not systematically organized, strategically planned and consistent with international standards,” the report states.
Auditors warn that the lack of regular updates and a coordinated approach increases the risk that the Red List does not accurately reflect the conservation status of species, limiting the Ministry’s ability to make effective environmental policy decisions.
The report also highlights shortcomings in biodiversity monitoring. The Ministry and the Agency of Protected Areas collect information using different methods, and there is no unified national monitoring standard.
The audit concludes that biodiversity data collection and monitoring in Georgia remain fragmented and do not comply with international standards, reducing the effectiveness of conservation planning and the use of available data.
