Batsara Strict Nature Reserve

The Batsara Strict Nature Reserve is situated in the north-western part of Pankisi Valley and extends over a territory of 5500 hectares. It was officially established in 1935 to protect the endemic flora and fauna, including yew trees as well as virgin landscapes. Strict Nature Reserves are established in order to maintain nature, natural processes and genetic resources in a dynamic and pristine condition, and to conduct scientific research and studies, with a minor impact, for educational and environmental monitoring purposes.

Batsara has a wide range of forests expanding from 700 to 2000 meters above sea level. Among forest trees there is yew (Taxus baccata), beech (Fagus sylvatica), Caucasian hornbeam (Carpinus caucasica), chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) as well as subalpine and meadow vegetation. The unique microclimate makes the environment of Batsara relatively cool in summer and the warm in winter.

The nature reserve is home to thousand-year-old yew trees (Taxus baccata), one is recorded as over 2000 years old. Evergreen yew have characteristically large trunks, often up to 2 meters in diameter. Yew forests cover about 600 to 900 hectares and are found at 900 to 1300 meters altitude. Pure yew forests are very rare, making Batsara a unique region. They typically create plant communities in association with beech trees (Fagus sylvatica). Yew trees grow in shady humid places and their trunks reach up to 25 meters height. The needles contain poisonous alkaloids, which are, as well as the seeds, poisonous to humans. Their seeds germinate at a slow rate and the tree grows very slowly.

The diversity of local fauna is remarkable and includes many rare and threatened species. Among special endemic species are the Caucasian lizard (Darevskia caucasica), Meadow lizard (Darevskia praticola), and Artvin lizard (Darevskia derjugini). In the case of birds, the Caucasian chiffchaff (Phylloscopus lorenzii), Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), and rare Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), can be spotted in this region.

The globally endangered Common tree frog (Polypedates leucomystax) and the endemic Caucasian parsley frog (Pelodytes caucasicus) are found here as well as Caucasian and Green toad (Bufo verrucosissimus, Bufotes viridis). River trout (Salmo trutta), a freshwater fish, which inhabits cold mountain rivers rich in oxygen, is a rare fish found in the Alazani River, and is on the Red List of Georgia as an endangered species.

Among mammals, there are endemic species such as Radde´s shrew (Sorex raddei) and Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) and other animals such as chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), wolf (Canis lupus), lynx (Lynx lynx) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), which is on the Red List of Georgia.

Batsara Strict Nature Reserve is not accessible to the public or tourists without permission from the municipal environmental agency. Visits must be arranged in advance. Inside the reserve, a ranger accompanies visitors and guides them on foot along defined paths. In order to protect the environment and wildlife strict rules are followed, which include minimizing noise, not picking flowers or cutting down trees, not feeding animals, and so on. Information boards at the entrance to the reserve and along the routes, provide useful facts about the ecosystems and species.