Eagle Canyon: een nieuw natuurgebied in Georgië

Georgia is a country situated in the Caucasus and borders with the Russian Federation (in the North), the Black Sea (in the West), Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia (in the South). It measures 69.700 square kilometres with a total population of more than 5 million. (For comparison: the Netherlands measures 41.526 square kilometres with a population of 16,5 million). Eagle Canyon (‘Artsivis Kheoba’ in the local language) is a recently protected area in the eastern part of Georgia, in Dedoflistsqaro Region, some 125 kilometers from the capital Tbilisi. It consists of typical limestone outcrops in a further almost flat landscape. The limestone outcrops are covered with scarce vegetation, among others with the endemic ‘Caucasus Machita’ Campanula kakhetica, which grows on the limestone summits in cracks and openings with very limited soil. Deeper in the canyon, the cliffs show a more denser natural mountain forest vegetation. The local people call the area ‘Eagle Canyon’ because of the numerous vultures and birds of prey which nest or frequent the area, and which are mistakenly called ‘eagles’. Birds which catch most attention and which have a confirmed breeding status in the area (among others): Eurasian Black Vulture Aegypius monachus, Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, and the typical yellowish Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. Currently, Eagle Canyon got the status of a Natural Monument. The total area covers about 100 ha and consists of mainly the limestone outcrops. Realizing the importance of the surrounding forested area, the local NGO (Artsivis Kheoba) has secured the management of the surroundings through a twenty years lease from the local administration. The surrounding area of about 649 ha includes mountain forests and about 46 ha of pasture lands. The NGO has plans to develop an existing former Soviet holiday camp into a tourist hotel for ecotourism development. Through a recently received World Bank grant, the management of the Natural Monument was able to purchase telescopes and binoculars enabling them to further study the behaviour of the larger birds and to monitor the area. A small visitor centre was built and currently parking facilities are constructed. Small footpaths allow for relative easy exploration of the area. There is urgent need for further and professional studies in order to determine the dependency of the vultures and birds of prey in the surrounding areas and to assist management in setting out future management directions for proper conservation of the biodiversity in ‘Eagle Canyon’. Inquiries and offers for assistance (inventories, formulation management plan, etcetera) will be welcomed by the Director of the Eagle Canyon Natural Monument, Mr. Pavle Tavadze, 58 Kostava Street, Dedoflistsqaro region, Georgia, tel. mobile 8 99 170220, residence 995384, e-mail: T-Tavadze@hotmail.com.