2008 Borjomi wildfire
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Borjomi wildfires started in the Borjomi Gorge
, Georgia
on August 15, 2008 and lasted for several days to come, destroying 250 hectares (617.8 acre) of the 75000 hectares (185,328.9 acre) Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
, one of the largest national parks in Europe
.
The fire started in the concluding days of the hostilities during the 2008 South Ossetia war
, some 80 km far from the conflict area. Eyewitnesses reported camouflage-painted helicopters in the sky just before the fire erupted. Georgia accused Russia
of bombing the area and deliberating starting a fire using incendiary devices, describing it as a ecocide
. Russia's Defence Ministry denied bombing the forests and said that they would help the Georgians extinguish the fires if requested. Despite Turkish
and Ukrainian
aid, the firefighting efforts were complicated by the ongoing conflict
and airspace restrictions.
According to the government of Georgia,
The Borjomi wildfire alarmed international environmental organizations. WWF
called on "all parties capable of helping put out forest fires in central Georgia to work together to extinguish them." The PAN Parks
network, of which the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is a member, sent a latter to the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, expressing its concerns that the "recent bombing in Borjomi district resulted in a forest fire, which threatens Borjomi Kharagauli National Park." The World Bank
expressed its "grave concern the reports of forest fires in the Borjomi area of Georgia" and sent an assessment team in the area. The OSCE-UNEP mission will also assess the damage caused by fire, including in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and adjacent forested areas.
Borjomi Gorge
Borjomi Gorge is a picturuesque canyon of the Mtkvari River in central Georgia. The Gorge was formed as a result of the Mtkvari River cutting its path through the Lesser Caucasus Mountains where the Trialeti and Meskheti Ranges meet. A significant portion of the Borjomi Gorge is covered by mixed...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
on August 15, 2008 and lasted for several days to come, destroying 250 hectares (617.8 acre) of the 75000 hectares (185,328.9 acre) Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is a protected area in central Georgia, situated in the Lesser Caucasus, southwest to the nation’s capital of Tbilisi....
, one of the largest national parks in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The fire started in the concluding days of the hostilities during the 2008 South Ossetia war
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, some 80 km far from the conflict area. Eyewitnesses reported camouflage-painted helicopters in the sky just before the fire erupted. Georgia accused Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
of bombing the area and deliberating starting a fire using incendiary devices, describing it as a ecocide
Ecocide
The neologism ecocide can be used to refer to any large-scale destruction of the natural environment or over-consumption of critical non-renewable resources...
. Russia's Defence Ministry denied bombing the forests and said that they would help the Georgians extinguish the fires if requested. Despite Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
aid, the firefighting efforts were complicated by the ongoing conflict
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
and airspace restrictions.
According to the government of Georgia,
The Borjomi wildfire alarmed international environmental organizations. WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
called on "all parties capable of helping put out forest fires in central Georgia to work together to extinguish them." The PAN Parks
PAN Parks
PAN Parks works to protect Europe's wilderness, the continent's most undisturbed areas of nature.PAN Parks, the only European-wide organisation focusing on the protection of wilderness areas, applies an approach combining wilderness protection and sustainable tourism development.The organisation...
network, of which the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is a member, sent a latter to the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, expressing its concerns that the "recent bombing in Borjomi district resulted in a forest fire, which threatens Borjomi Kharagauli National Park." The World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
expressed its "grave concern the reports of forest fires in the Borjomi area of Georgia" and sent an assessment team in the area. The OSCE-UNEP mission will also assess the damage caused by fire, including in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and adjacent forested areas.
External links
- Satellite images by UNOSAT