Biodiversity

This part of Caucasus is a real paradise for ethnographers, biologists, photographers and for adventurous people.

Tusheti is remarkable for its density of endemic plants. 230 of plant species found in Tusheti is endemic to the Caucasus (and this is more than 20% of total endemic plant population of the Caucasus) and 11 out of this plant population is only found in Georgia. Some of the endemic plants of Tusheti and Georgia are:  Tushetian aconite (aconitum tusheticum), Bluebell (campanula petrophila), hazels (corylus iberica), lilies (Lilium georgicum), Tushetian sweetbrier (Rosa tuschetica), buttercups (Ranunculus tebulosicus), etc. Tusheti is also a habitant for a few endemic plans of Caucasus: Black birch (Betula raddeana), Fritillaria latifolia, Fritillaria lutea, alpine catchfly (Silene humilis), primrose (Primula luteola), Scilla siberica, types of blubell (Campanula biebersteiniana) and many more.

Tusheti is a large-scale depression surrounded by high mountains. Its forests are very valuable for Georgia. Forests in Tusheti are dominated by conifers and the share of broadleaf forest is insignificant. Natural resin produced by pine trees and needle leaves from trees make this place easily flammable. During dry summertime forests are often caught in a light fire that burns grass and needle leaves on the ground and damages the wood and lower branches of the trees. This creates a favorable soil for pine seeds that fall on the ground. Therefore, in the forests you would see few different generations of pine trees.  Pine trees grow on both embankments of Alazani River up on the mountain slopes as high as 2000-2200 meters from sea level. Above 2300 m., there are dense Rhododendron shrubs and birch and rowan grow sparsely. At the lower levels of Tusheti forests you can find some local Twinflowers (Linnaea borealis). Tree line stops at 2600 meters from sea level. This is a boundary between alpine and sub-alpine zones and above this line there are only sparse growings of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and crowberry (Empetrum hermaphroditum) shrubs.  Beauty of Georgian flora – Rhododendron grows in alpine zone, as well beyond birch groves.

Vegetation line in Tusheti stops at 3000 meters from sea level. Beyond that line there are only rocks and snow-covered picks. Dano, Kimito and Diklo Mountains are over 4000 meters high and they are covered with snow all year round.

Those forbidding rocks are the habitat for East Caucasian (Capra cylindricornis) that dwells over 3000 meters from sea level.

Another endemic bird of Caucasus region dwelling in Tusheti is Caucasian Snowcock (Tetraogallus caucasicus). It is a large-size, wary bird, which you can always hear at the high altitudes, but can rarely see snowcock flocks.

Sub-alpine and alpine zones are also a habitat for Caucasian Black Grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi). Like snowcock, Caucasian black grouse spends all year in the mountains of Tusheti.

The same territories are also dwelled by the local variety of wild goose (Rupicarpa rupicarpa) and wild goat (Capra aegagrus), that lives on lower altitude. Capra aegagrus is one of the most endangered species in Georgia and the only habitant left for this animal in Georgia is Tusheti.

Very common in Tusheti are roe deer and deer are dwelling rarely. One of the species that regularly migrates from bordering Dagestan is a wild pig.

There are many predators in Tusheti: different sub-species of marten, brown bear, wolves, lynx and others.