The project - Integrated Erosion Control" (IEC) and "Integrated Biodiversity Management, South Caucasus" (IbiS) was financed and implemented by GIZ between 2014-2019. For the integrated erosion control component, the project piloted measures in Tusheti, Georgia to create infrastructure for effective pasture management. Friends Association of Tusheti Protected Areas (FATPA) and Tusheti Protected Landscape Administration (TPLA) were local partners and involved during the implementation process.
Sheepherding is a traditional and deeply rooted activity in the Tusheti region, located in the mountains of north-eastern Georgia. The region is renowned for producing high-quality wool and Tushetian Guda cheese. The landscape is particularly suitable for herding, with high mountains and steep slopes offering large areas for pasture. Over the centuries, human activity has shaped this landscape, reducing forest cover to free up space for pasture.
Until the end of the Soviet era, herding was a profitable activity sustaining livelihoods in the mountains. Cattle herding has since been unregulated and left the land significantly more exposed to land erosion. Erosion is now threatening infrastructures such as houses, farms, and road networks across the region.
By 2050, Georgia is expected to experience an average temperature rise of about 0.8-1.4°C, along with an increased incidence of natural hazards including landslides, mudslides, floods, and droughts. It is also expected that heavy precipitation events will increase in Georgia, and the mountainous region of Tusheti will experience less predictable rainfall. This, combined with unsustainable land use, will further increase the risk of erosion, landslides, and mudslides.
Erosion marks on pasture above the Jvarboseli village in Tusheti, Georgia. @Sustainable Caucasus