Last updated: April 2022
The Rioni River basin is the second largest in Georgia, originating in the Greater Caucasus range and flowing into the Black Sea, traversing the town of Samtredia. Samtredia has been affected directly on many occasions by floods that have become a current occurrence in the Rioni River basin as of late. The underlying causes of vulnerability to climate change in the Rioni basin can be categorised into 1) physical factors –direct manifestations of climate change, 2) factors caused by anthropogenic intervention – those related to the harmful ways in which humans have and continue to interact with the environment which has exacerbated vulnerability and 3) Institutional factors – related to the legislative/regulatory barriers placed by government and other institutions, as well as limited capacity (human and resources) to manage climate change vulnerability. Flooding has been harmful not only to the local population but also to the biodiversity of the area, which suffered losses and an ecological imbalance and a disruption in the habitat patterns of local fauna. Many of these issues became the focal point of an activity developed by the Adaptation Fund alongside the Georgian government as early as 2012. The intervention stretched for 4 years and involved several localities in the Rioni River Basin, including Samtredia municipality, consisting of creating bank terracing, vegetative buffers, and tree revetments in order to address floods related to the Rioni River basin and the localities it traverses. (1,2)
Rioni River
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Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Community gardens and allotments
- Horticulture
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Employment/job creation
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems
Project objectives
In Samtredia municipality floods have threatened the population in the last 10 years constantly and the intensity and duration of precipitation events combined with early and more accelerated snowmelt are likely to increase due to climate change. The intervention aims to establish long-term flood management practices, enabling the Georgian government to manage flood risk more sustainably.
The identified goals of the intervention are:
1. To mobilize local communities to implement flood risk adaptation measures such as trenching, terracing, re-plantation, deep root bush and shrub zones, nut trees or tea plantations (traditional of the region).
2. To provide direct adaptation measures to reduce flood levels experienced and provide flood warnings to improve the ability of the affected population to respond and move out of danger during a flood (including early warning systems).
3. To provide maintenance/restoration of biodiversity by strengthening the functionality of the ecosystems.
4. Habitat creation through the restoration of the natural floodplain by zoning development away from the functional floodplain and creating floodways.
5. Control runoff and soil erosion through agroforestry, thereby reducing losses of water, soil material, organic matter and nutrients.
6. To contribute to developing a green economy by providing jobs and business opportunities to local people. (1,2)
Implementation activities
The intervention is part of the project “Developing Climate Resilient Flood and Flash Flood Management Practices to Protect Vulnerable Communities of Georgia” (2011–2016) led by UNDP and the Adaptation Fund. As part of the actions, a research and analysis study has been conducted and it revealed about 300 active landslide points with a total area of 11,470 ha. Ninety-eight mudflow rivers were identified, and cadastres for all detected points were drawn up. Meteorological and hydrological data from 26 hydrological stations/posts were digitized and uploaded to the project’s server. Socio-economic data were collected by the project from six pilot municipalities and additionally from 12 municipalities of the Rioni River basin. All collected digital data were used for landslide hazard assessment. Local communities were involved throughout the entire intervention, including through consultations and implementation. Local emergency response staff were also trained to ensure better local emergency preparedness planning and response coordination. In Samtredia and Tskaltubo in 2015 a tree planting massive campaign around the Rioni river basin was conducted and 20,900 trees were planted on more than 9 hectares. A comprehensive list of activities can be found in Reference 4. (1,3,4) These activities address hazards like landslides, flash floods, mudflow in the steep and mountainous upstream areas, as well as flooding, and erosion of river beds in the floodplain downstream areas.
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides
- Renaturalization of rivers and other water bodies
- Other
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Multilateral organisation
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
UNDP and Adaptation Fund in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource Protection of Georgia took charge of the intervention. The Adaptation Fund finances this climate adaptation and resilience project with the help of the local communities as well. (1,2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(This intervention was not implemented as a response to an EU Directive however, it is part of the project “Developing Climate Resilient Flood and Flash Flood Management Practices to Protect Vulnerable Communities of Georgia” (2011–2016) that was designed and submitted to the Adaptation Fund, an organization established under the Kyoto Protocol and funded by governments as well as private funders (Adaptation Fund 2015). (1))
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project aligns with and contributes to the implementation of the law on Protection of Population and Territories against Natural and Manmade Emergency Situations; Water law and soil protection law. Moreover, the Georgian legislation currently lacks any legal standards or regulations on zoning in the floodplain areas or high hazard-prone regions. (2) The project implements the Georgian Government’s priorities for effective and long-term flood prevention and management measures by direct involvement of local municipalities and populations residing in the highly-exposed locations. (4))
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
(Not exactly a local strategy, but the intervention aimed to take an integrated and comprehensive approach by addressing critical gaps in land use policy and the regulatory framework fundamental to climate-resilient flood management within the addressed municipalities. (4))
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Multilateral funds/international funding
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Social justice and cohesion
- Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Other
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Shatberashvili, N.; Rucevska, I.; Jørstad, H.; Artsivadze, K.; Mehdiyev, B.; Aliyev, M.; Fayvush, G.; Dzneladze, M.; Jurek, M.; Kirkfeldt, T. & Semernya, L. (2015). Outlook on climate change adaptation in the South Caucasus mountains. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal and Sustainable Caucasus. Nairobi, Arendal and Tbilisi, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
2. Adaptation Fund (no date), Program Information (documentatioj regarding the intervention), available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
3. ReliefWeb (2015), Forests: Slowing the Flow, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
4. Adaptation Fund (2019), Evaluation Report, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
5. UNDP (2016), Flood Management in the Rioni River Basin, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
6. UNDP (2016), Climate Change Adaptation in Europe and Central Asia: Adapting to a changing climate for resilient development, available at Source link (accessed 20-04-2022)
2. Adaptation Fund (no date), Program Information (documentatioj regarding the intervention), available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
3. ReliefWeb (2015), Forests: Slowing the Flow, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
4. Adaptation Fund (2019), Evaluation Report, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
5. UNDP (2016), Flood Management in the Rioni River Basin, available at Source link (accessed 15-04-2022)
6. UNDP (2016), Climate Change Adaptation in Europe and Central Asia: Adapting to a changing climate for resilient development, available at Source link (accessed 20-04-2022)
Aforestation
https://www.ge.undp.org/content/georgia/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2015/03/21/forests-slowing-the-flow.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.