Georgia Endangered Species

As of August 1st, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for GEORGIA in western Asia lists 17 critically endangered species and 26 endangered species. Fortunately, Georgia does not have any extinct species on the IUCN Red List. The IUCN provides maps for some of these species, many of which have small geographic distributions.

Critically endangered species include the Charnali Lizard, European Eel, Kanchaveli's Bellflower, Russian Sturgeon, and Ship Sturgeon. Kanchaveli's Bellflowers grow in a small area in north-central Kakhet'i region, located in eastern Georgia near the Russia border. The Charnali Lizard is located in southwestern Georgia in Ajaria region as well as northeastern Turkey's Artvin and Rize regions. Some endangered species include the Albov's Thistle (Samegrelo-Zemo Svanet’i region in northwestern Georgia), Clarks' Lizard, Colchic Masterwort plant (northwestern Georgia), Egyptian Vulture, Kakhetian Bellflower (southeastern Kakhet'i region in southeastern Georgia), Megrelian Birch tree, White-headed Duck, and Woronow's Centaury plant (Ajaria and Samts’khe-Javakhet’i regions in southwestern Georgia). Megrelian Birch trees only have been discovered growing on Mount Jvari and Mount Migaria.

Some of the aforementioned species are located in the Caucasus Biodiversity Hotspot and endemic to Georgia, being only located in the country and nowhere else. Endemic species in Georgia include the Albov's Thistle, Colchic Masterwort, Kakhetian Bellflower, Kanchaveli's Bellflower, and Megrelian Birch. In addition to southwestern Georgia, Woronow's Centaury is also found in northeastern Turkey's Artvin province. Like with the Woronow's Centaury, the Charnali and Clarks' lizard species are found in Turkey.

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