Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands
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How it came to be
Seven forests and wetlands lie in a corridor about 80 kilometres long on Georgia's Black Sea coast. Surrounding mountains funnel moist air toward the sea, and parts of the Colchis Lowland receive more than four metres of rain a year. Ancient deciduous rainforests that survived the ice ages and percolation bogs remain here. Colchis is also the land where, in myth, Jason and the Argonauts sought the Golden Fleece.
Protection began in 1947 with the Kolkheti State Nature Reserve of about 500 hectares. In 1959 the Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve was set up to preserve relict humid forests and wetlands. Kolkheti National Park was established in 1998 and 1999 with funding from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility.
About 1,100 plant species and some 500 vertebrate species live here, including the critically endangered Colchic sturgeon. The area is also a key stopover for migrating birds passing through the Batumi bottleneck. On 26 July 2021 it became the first site in Georgia inscribed on the World Heritage List for its natural values.
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