The deforestation situation in Georgia

How dire is the situation?

Since 2015, Georgia has lost an area 341 times the size of a football pitch every month to wildfires. The threat of deforestation is huge, and if you’re living in Georgia, you’ve probably seen some of its effects already. Hotter summers, less rainfall, decreased humidity and harsher sunlight – those are all tell-tale signs of a changing climate that scientists have attributed, at least to a certain degree, to what’s now a rapid loss of trees and cover vegetation.

Even if you’re yet to experience any of this, there’s a growing consensus among environmental experts that the whole country is at risk. Deforestation, ergo the many deleterious effects it has on the environment, is spreading like wildfire. Left unchecked, it’s only a matter of time before its effects extend nationwide.

What are the consequences?

The effects of this wanton deforestation in the country are multifold. All cities in Georgia are currently left without forests. Asides from the economic downturn, there’s the particularly damning ecologic repercussions. For a country with a rugged topography characterized by mountain ranges, steep slopes and elevated levels of rainfall, the role of trees in sustaining the landform and preventing natural disasters cannot be overemphasized. 

Furthermore, lifeforms that thrive in the country’s forests are consistently being placed at risk. Georgia is a unique haven of biodiversity with an interesting population of rare animals and plants. With sustained deforestation, these plants and animals run the risk of becoming endangered.

What is being done

The situation is dire. Now more than ever stakeholders must form a round table to discuss and address this rapidly escalating problem. Forests play a critical role in our livelihood and in the health of our planet. Conscious efforts must be taken to protect our trees at all costs.