The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture has provided clarification on the government’s December 19 decision regarding forest status adjustments in Oni, Racha. The ministry confirmed that 3.7 million square meters in Oni will have forest status revoked while 16 million square meters will be newly designated as forest.
Officials explained that the areas losing forest status are not genuine forest ecosystems but consist of orchards, roads, rivers and other non-forest plots. The newly designated forest lands in Oni reflect areas that meet ecological and legal criteria for protection.
A similar review in Telavi municipality resulted in 9.8 million square meters being assigned forest status and 1.8 million square meters having their status revoked. These changes follow a 2023–2024 inventory and mapping of state forest lands to accurately define forest boundaries and update the state forest fund.
The ministry emphasized that the adjustments are based on actual land use and ecological conditions rather than arbitrary removal or addition of forest protections.
