Iori River Valley
Restoring steppe and floodplain ecosystems in eastern Georgia to support biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods, and ecological resilience.
The Iori River and its associated gallery forest are essential elements of the fragile Georgian steppe ecosystem. Home to magnificent birds of prey, wolves, bears and gazelles, and bordered by steppes and barren ‘badlands’, this dramatic landscape is currently threatened by unsustainable agriculture and the remnants of former Soviet infrastructure. This project has started to revitalise this steppe-riverine ecosystem, while enabling local pastoralists to manage the land sustainably in the long-term.
Chachuna Managed Reserve, Iori River Valley
Georgia
22,000 ha
2019-2024
US$792,262
Steppe, grassland, scrubland and gallery and riverine forest
Egyptian vulture, Eastern imperial eagle, wolf, and brown bear
Why this place matters
Habitats in the Iori River Valley provide nesting and foraging grounds for species such as the imperial eagle and saker falcon.
Stretching along the south-eastern edge of Georgia, the Iori River Valley supports some of the region’s last remnants of natural steppe and gallery forest. But decades of land degradation — driven by overgrazing, changes to flood patterns, poorly placed dams, and agricultural expansion — have weakened ecosystem integrity and resilience. Forest regeneration has stalled, biodiversity has declined, and unsustainable grazing is threatening the landscape’s long-term viability.
Action on the ground
This project is restoring the valley’s ecological processes by combining habitat rehabilitation with community-centred land use change.
Policy advocacy has led to the incorporation of pasture management guidance into Georgian law.
Water infrastructure has been installed for livestock, including 13 ponds and one well, to reduce pressure on sensitive floodplain zones.
hectares: the total area where rotational grazing schemes have been implemented.
Fencing and corridor creation have been implemented to protect forest seedlings and manage sheep access to water.
of floodplain forest restored by reintroducing seasonal flooding by securing water releases from the Dali reservoir to support gallery forest regeneration.
Monitoring highlights
The project team monitors ecological recovery, grazing impacts and community engagement to inform adaptive management.
Objective: increase height of regenerating trees within floodplain forest area
Objective: increase abundance of regenerating trees in floodplain forest area
Objective: increase soil moisture in the floodplain forest area
Objective: increase number of shepherds using rotational grazing approach
Objective: recommendations adopted by decision-makers
Objective: increase collaborative engagement of multiple governmental bodies
Working together
This project’s approach is grounded in local engagement, building trust with shepherds, spiritual leaders, and local entrepreneurs. It has delivered needs assessments and support to pastoral households, amplified local voices through media and exhibitions, promoted sustainable income streams such as trials of sheep cheese value chains, and engaged youth through educational grants. Together, these partnerships have helped turn shared challenges into co‑created solutions that strengthen the valley’s social‑ecological resilience.
SABUKO has deepened understanding of the sheep industry in the Iori River Valley.
Policy Influence
The Iori River Valley project has influenced policy and practice at multiple levels, contributing to the adoption of sustainable pasture management guidelines in Georgian national legislation, strengthening cooperation with government bodies such as the Agency of Protected Areas and the Parliamentary Agrarian Committee, and integrating floodplain restoration into the Chachuna Managed Reserve management plan. These developments demonstrate how place‑based restoration can drive systems‑level change.
“Previously, there was neither a management plan for Chachuna Managed Reserve nor relevant studies into the sustainable management of pastures there. Together with SABUKO, we have rectified that.”
NATA SULTANISHVILI, HEAD OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICE, GEORGIA’S AGENCY OF PROTECTED AREAS
My time with SABUKO’s pasture team allowed me to build essential skills, fill the gap between theory and practice, and gain confidence in my ability to contribute meaningfully to real-world projects.”
REVAZ KVARATSKHELIA, ILIA STATE UNIVERSITY
What’s next?
Building on current success, the project partners aim to:
Scale up rotational grazing and water management efforts across neighbouring landscapes.
Expand monitoring of biodiversity recovery and pasture condition.
Strengthen value chains that align with restoration, such as locally branded sheep products.
Secure long-term support for restoration through cross-sector partnerships.
Restoration Works
Restoration Works showcases the accomplishments of projects supported by the ELSP which have completed their funding period.
Restoring balance in Georgia’s Iori River Valley
Restoration works: Seven years of change across Europe’s landscapes and seascapes
Samukhi: negotiating the future of a shared landscape
