The detailed rules of national park permits are placed in the special law on protected areas, which is not included in the basis of this material: what is presented here is the general framework on which those rules rest — the licensed use of wild species, the system of protected area categories in which the national park is one category, and the instruments of state control.
Licensed Use of Wild Species
For the self-reproduction of wild flora and fauna resources and the conservation of biodiversity, their removal from the environment is strictly limited and subject to licensing. In the context of national parks this norm is particularly important: the use of a wild nature resource on the territory of a park takes place by prior permit.
Any action that may harm the world of wild flora and fauna, their habitat, breeding areas, and migration routes is prohibited. The procedure for the protection and use of wild flora and fauna in Georgia is established by Georgian legislation.
The National Park in the System of Categories
The categories of protected areas are: state reserve, national park, natural monument, managed reserve, protected landscape, multiple use area. The national park is one category of this system, and it is precisely the category that determines the circle of permissible activities on the territory.
Georgia admits the existence of categories included in the international network — biosphere reserve, world heritage site, wetland of international importance. Protected areas are created by decision of the Parliament: the creation of a national park is a legislative act.
State Control
State control in the field of environmental protection and use of natural resources is exercised by the Ministry, the Department, the Agency of Protected Areas and the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency within the Ministry's system, and the state forest management body. In the supervision of national parks the role of the Agency of Protected Areas is central.
The Department, to secure control, carries out inspections — planned or unplanned checks and surveys. A check is carried out on the basis of an individual administrative-legal act of the minister or the head of the Department; appealing the act does not suspend the check, while a survey requires no act.
What This Means for the User of a Park and the Practical Significance of Categories
Any activity on the territory of a national park must pass two filters: the category filter — whether such a type of activity is permissible in a park — and the licensing filter, if the activity concerns the removal of a wild nature resource. The detailed permit rules are in the law on protected areas, and the general framework is described on this page.
The system of categories is significant because it distinguishes the state reserve, national park, natural monument, managed reserve, protected landscape, and multiple use area from one another: the national park is among those categories where protection and use are merged. This determines that action on the territory of a park must always be checked within the categorical framework.
The existence of international network categories connects the parks to international recognition: the biosphere reserve, world heritage site, and wetland create not merely additional prestige but an additional legal context.
The Control Instruments in Detail
The two forms of inspection — the check and the survey — are subject to different procedural regimes: the check requires an individual administrative-legal act, while the survey does not. Appeal does not suspend the check — this means that a person acting in a park cannot delay an inspection through a dispute connected with control.
The principle of compensating damage and its 10-year limitation period operate in the context of parks as well: damage caused on the territory of a park remains compensable for a long time, and a fine does not cancel that obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently asked about national park permits.
Is a permit needed for the use of a wild species?
Yes — the use of a resource on the territory of a park takes place by prior permit.
Who governs control?
The Agency of Protected Areas; a survey requires no act, and an inspection rests on legislation.
What obligation does a fine create?
A fine does not cancel the obligation to compensate damage.
How may a decision be challenged?
A dispute does not delay the inspection — the route of appeal is planned in advance.
How We Help on Legal.ge
National park permits rest on a two-step logic: first the categorical framework and the licensing regime of wild nature, then the detailed rules in the law on protected areas. State control gives this system a guarantee of enforcement: with the participation of the Agency of Protected Areas and the long term for compensating damage. The regime of a national park is measured by permits, categories and control. The lawyers of Legal.ge assist in determining the necessary permits and in disputes connected with control. Submit a request on the site.