Dighomi Meadows: Years of institutional failure risk erasing last floodplain forest in Tbilisi, Georgia

Briefing    |    21 October 2026

The Dighomi Meadows, a once rich and varied natural habitat and an internationally recognised Emerald Network site, have been in danger since 2014 due to encroaching development, unregulated and illegal gravel extraction, and illegal waste dumping.

In 2024, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a strategy and action plan to rehabilitate the meadows. However, the restoration never materialised as the ADB failed to secure a commitment from Tbilisi City Hall to implement the strategy. Preparatory work for a stadium began in February 2026, exceeding the permitted boundary by June of that year, and construction waste was dumped in a protected turtle and bird habitat.