Quantifying Tbilisi's Urban Forest Ecosystem Services - And the Policy Gap That Undercuts Them

A peer-reviewed ecosystem-service model published in Forests (14(1):121, January 2023) by researchers at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University estimated that Tbilisi's urban and peri-urban forest cover removes 1,227 tonnes of air pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, SO2, PM2.5, PM10) per year - 2.444 t/km2 - and sequesters an average of 43.72 thousand tonnes of carbon annually, or 87.09 t/km2.

A 2025 policy analysis published by the Heinrich Boll Foundation's Tbilisi office (authors Tinatin Gurgenidze and Teimuraz Gabunia) found that despite these measurable benefits, the city's own General Land Use Plan - which mandates accessible green space - is routinely overridden: 'almost no large-scale development project is blocked.' The analysis documents elevated green spaces built on impermeable bases that block natural water infiltration and worsen flood vulnerability, new plantings that favour imported ornamental species over native trees with functional shade and biodiversity value, and coordination failures between City Hall departments responsible for street design and greenery. Tbilisi's per-capita green space stood at just 1.3 m2, far below the commonly recommended 9 m2 minimum.

Together, the two sources offer a rare paired picture: a rigorous quantification of what Tbilisi's existing urban forest delivers, and an independent account of why municipal planning is failing to protect or expand it.

Read the full analysis: https://ge.boell.org/en/2025/10/28/politics-green-space-critical-analysis-urban-development-and-sustainability-tbilisi