Flora

The vegetation of the Park presents a great number of pleasant surprises and encounters with lots of beautiful blossoming plants. In the northern (Kharagauli) part of the National Park between 400 - 1800 m Colchic forest vegetation predominates. The peculiarity of the colchic forest is the understorey growth of semi-creeping evergreen bushes such as rhododendron, cherry-laurel, ilex and others. It is particularly impressive to visitors around spring when rhododendron ponticum and rhododendron luteum are blossoming. Hiking up to around 2000 m you will find subalpine meadows with Caucasian lotus, ranunculus, alchemilla, anemone and others, distinguished for their colourful variety, as well as subalpine tall grasses. At Mt Samethskhvario, 2642m, the highest point of the national park, you will enjoy a picturesque variety of plants blossoming in July-August.

Flagship species: Beech (Fagus orientalis), Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill), Caucasian Fir (Abies normanniana), Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis), Caucasian Pine (Pinus Kochiana)

Fauna

Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is well known for its rich and diverse fauna, characteristic of the Colchis and Caucasian bio-geographic area. Within the National Park the fauna of the forest and sub-alpine zone of the western Caucasus is well represented. Birdwatchers never have trouble spotting a wide variety of species, because the National Park lies on the migration route of many migrating birds. For many, a special treat is spotting the endemic Caucasian black grouse (Lyrurus/Tetrao mlocosiewiczi). In spring and autumn you can see large flocks of beautiful yellowish bee-eater. In the virgin forests live relatively permanent populations of the brown bear, wolf, lynx, red deer and chamois.
Flagship species: Golden Eagle; Caucaisan Blackgrouse; Snowcock, Red deer, Brown bear, Lynx, Caucasian Salamander

Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park was certified in 2006. The park proved excellence in wilderness protection and showed great achievements in the below fields.*


Habitat management
• PAN Parks wilderness area was created [50 325 ha]
• zoning of the national park was finalised and PAN Parks Wilderness area enlarged
• active measures for key animal species in the managed nature zone were introduced
• buffer zone of the Borjomi reserve was designated


Synergy between conservation of natural values and sustainable tourism
• concept of information centres was developed
• additional capacity for communication with stakeholders was secured
• objectives and requirements of the STDS in the urban development plans were partly integrated
• Local PAN Parks Group (LPPG) was set up and is operational
• Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy was finalised and adopted
• local PAN Parks quality standard was developed and verification of local partners started
• 3 local PAN Parks business partners were certified

*It is not easy to separate activities of regular park management and activities accomplished because of PAN Parks requirements. The list of the above activities includes mostly activities accomplished as a result of the PAN Parks process.