6. Imereti – Historical-Cultural Overview

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6. Imereti – Historical-Cultural Overview SFG2110 SECOND REGIONAL DEVELOPMETN PROJECT IMERETI REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMERETI TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Public Disclosure Authorized STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL HERITAGE AND SOCIAL ASSESSMENT Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Tbilisi, December, 2014 ABBREVIATIONS GNTA Georgia National Tourism Administration EIA Environnemental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan EMS Environmental Management System IFI International Financial Institution IRDS Imereti Regional Development Strategy ITDS Imereti Tourism Development Strategy MDF Municipal Development Fund of Georgia MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoENRP Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia MoIA Ministry of Internal Affairs MoCMP Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection MoJ Ministry of Justice MoESD Ministry of Economic and Sustaineble Developmnet NACHP National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection PIU Project Implementation Unit PPE Personal protective equipment RDP Regional Development Project SECHSA Strategic Environmental, Cultural Heritage and Social Assessment WB World Bank Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 0 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 14 1.1 PROJECT CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................ 14 1.2 SECTORAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT...................................................................................................... 15 1.3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND KEY RESULTS EXPECTED .................................................. 19 1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE SECHSA ...................................................................................................................... 21 1.5 STRUCTURE OF SECHSA DOCUMENT ....................................................................................................... 21 2. IMERETI TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ......................................................................................... 23 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 23 2.2. Development Priorities Set forth in ITDS ................................................................................................. 23 2.3. Specific Activities and Development Trends Related to Tourism Sectors and Clusters ........................... 31 2.4 Some Particular Subprojects Planned or Developed Under the ITDS Important for SECHSA .................. 37 3. PROJECT DESIGN .............................................................................................................................................. 42 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 42 3.2 Overview of the RDP II components ........................................................................................................ 42 3.3 INVESTMENT SUBPROJECTS UNDER RDP II ............................................................................................. 46 4. METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT ............................................................................. 67 4.1 REGIONAL, SECTORAL AND PROGRAMMATIC FEATURES OF SECHSA .................................................... 67 4.2 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 69 5. LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM IN GEORGIA FOR SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 75 5.1 CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION AND SPATIAL PLANNING ................................................................ 75 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ............................................................................................................. 93 5.3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR INVOLUNTARY RESETTLEMENT ................................................................... 113 6. Imereti – Historical-cultural overview ....................................................................................................... 116 7. Tourism Potential of Imereti Region ............................................................................................................ 171 7.1 Tourist flow overall ................................................................................................................................ 171 7.2 Tourism attractions in Imereti .............................................................................................................. 175 7.3 Trends and Forecasts ............................................................................................................................ 177 7.4 Projected Tourism Growth in Imereti ................................................................................................... 183 7.5 Economic and Financial Analysis ............................................................................................................. 184 8. OVERVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE CONDITIONS .................................................................. 191 8.1 PHYSICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AREA ......................................................... 191 8.2 ................................................................................................. LANDSCAPES AND ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................................................................... 215 8.3 NATURAL RESOURCES, POLLUTION HOTSPOTS AND CONTAMINATION SOURCES IN IMERETI REGION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………251 9. OVERVIEW OF THE SOCIAL BASELINE CONDITIONS .................................................................................. 295 9.1 SOCIAL FEATURES OF IMERETI REGION AS A WHOLE ........................................................................... 295 9.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC FEATURES OF IMERETI REGION BY MUNICIPALITIES .............................................. 309 10. STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF IRDS AND ITDS .............. 322 10.1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF IRDS........................................................... 322 10.2 STRATEGIC (INDIRECT/CUMULATIVE) IMPACTS OF THE ITDS AND APPLICABLE MITIGATION STRATEGIES ................................................................................................................................................... 347 11.ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................................................ 361 11.1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................... 361 11.2 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR IMERETI AND ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS ........................ 361 11.3 TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR IMERETI AND ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS ......................... 362 11.4 ALTERNATIVES OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SCHEMES ................................................................ 364 12.MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION .. 368 12.1 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DIRECT IMPACTS OF RDP II PROJECT COMPONENTS AND MITIGATION ................................................................................................................................................... 368 12.2 ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING (GAP ANALYSIS AND RECCOMMENDATIONS) ................................................................................................................................. 374 12.3 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION PLAN for ITDS ........ 380 12.4 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND CHECKLISTS FOR SELECTION OF INVESTMENT PROJECTS .......................... 385 13.STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS .................................................................................................................. 390 13.1 PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS ................................................................................................................... 390 13.2 CONSUTLTATIONS WITH PORJECT PROPONENTS AND GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS ………………391 13.3 CONSULTATIONS WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS ..............................................................................3922 13.4 CONSUTLATIONS WITH GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH…………………………………………………………….402 13.5 CONSUTLATIONS WITH ACADEMIA………………………………………………………………………………………………403 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY E-1. INTRODUCTION Following four years of rapid growth, backed by several reforms and increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, Georgia experienced a sharp economic downturn resulting from the twin shocks of the August 2008 conflict and the global financial crisis. As a result, the authorities launched a counter-cyclical fiscal stimulus program focusing on infrastructure, maintained their economic reform program backed by a
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