Tbilisi Mayor says Mtatsminda slope has been rejuvenated; everyone must see this breathtaking beauty

The Tbilisi Urban Forest project, an initiative spearheaded under a memorandum of understanding between Tbilisi City Hall and the Cartu Foundation, is nearing completion.

To date, the project has restored nearly 700 hectares of land and upgraded roughly 45 kilometres of pedestrian and cycling trails, including the creation of 20 kilometres of entirely new paths.

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, alongside Deputy Mayor Andria Basilaia and the Director of the Cartu Foundation, Nikoloz Chkhetiani, visited the Mtatsminda slope to review the extensive works completed so far and to plant saplings.

“The Cartu Charitable Foundation, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and his family are delivering a profoundly impactful project for our capital, focused on the greening of the Mtatsminda slope. Years ago, the trees on this hillside, which are the very lungs of our city, began to wither, and the area desperately needed intervention. We are talking about an immense territory stretching across 700 hectares. The original irrigation network on the slope was completely pillaged and left in ruins during the 1990s, with absolutely nothing remaining. As part of this new project, the irrigation system has been fully restored, dedicated water reservoirs have been built, and the entire area is now reliably supplied with water. Everyone must come and see this breathtaking beauty and what has been achieved.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the Cartu Foundation, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and his family, because delivering a project of this magnitude is absolutely vital for the life of our city. To date, approximately 25 million GEL has been invested in these works,” Kakha Kaladze stated.

In addition to the replanting efforts, the project involved clearing 52,000 dead trees and drilling four boreholes, which now supply an irrigation network covering nearly 200 hectares. For recreational purposes, low-impact tourist infrastructure has been integrated, including benches, viewpoints, rest pavilions, shelters, and a bird-watching hide, all meticulously designed to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape and terrain.

According to the Tbilisi City Hall, the project also employs a unique conservation method to reintroduce and breed birds in the wild. Specifically, Colchian pheasants and chukar partridges raised in incubators at the Chorvila National Breeding Centre were placed in a specially designed temporary aviary. Following a one-month acclimatisation period, the aviary roof is opened, allowing around 80% of the birds to venture out into the wild while remaining within the immediate habitat. As a result, citizens walking along the nature trails can now regularly spot the wildlife.

The capital’s Mayor was also accompanied on the site visit by Gocha Koberidze, Director of the environmental organisation “Development and Environment Foundation,” and its Chairman, Temur Tkemaladze.