The Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands (Georgian: კოლხეთის ტროპიკული ტყეები და ჭაობები, romanized:k'olkhetis t'rop'ik'uli t'q'eebi da ch'aobebi) is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in Georgia, which comprises parts of the Colchis Lowland along some 80 km of western Georgia's Black Sea coastline. It was inscribed by UNESCO on 26 July 2021, becoming the first site in Georgia to be added to the list for its natural attributes.[1] The site contains a wide array of ancient rainforest and wetland ecosystems, harboring many threatened and endangered species.[2]
The Colchis Lowland is extremely humid, with precipitation in some areas exceeding 4 meters per year.[3] This is a result of the funnel created between the Greater Caucasus, Lesser Caucasus, and Likhi Range, which traps the moisture along the Black Sea.[3] The lowland is a subsiding basin that may have originated during the Late Eocene or the Oligocene-Miocene Boundary.[3] It is fed by many rivers, the largest of which is the Rioni.
Near 500 species of vertebrates have also been observed in the site, with over 300 species of birds, 67 mammal species, 55 fish species, 15 reptiles, and 10 amphibians.[2] The region is a key stopover for many globally threatened raptors such as the booted eagle that migrate through the Batumi bottleneck.[2][4] In addition, it provides habitat for many wetland bird species, including the Great crested grebe. Amphibian species observed at the site include the vulnerable Caucasian salamander and the Caucasian parsley frog, and 4 species of the lizard genus Darevskia have been found within the constituent protected areas. The protected areas making up the World Heritage site also provide some of the last remaining habitat for critically endangered species, including the beluga sturgeon and the Colchic sturgeon (Acipenser colchicus).[3]
