The people who live in the landscape portrayed in Jara.
Age old experience and knowledge surviving and co-existing with nature.
This bee, otherwise known as the Mountain Grey Caucasian Bee has a long tongue which is 0.2 millimeters longer compared to other species, so it is easier for the bees to reach bottom of flower pistil and take nectar from where others cannot reach it. The bee is therefore characterized by high productivity. It is also peaceful. It knows exactly the right time for defense and attack, feels who is enemy and who is friend. It almost never attacks bee-keeper, on the contrary, greets him gladly.
A Jara is traditional Georgian beehive – an ancient and primitive way of domesticating bees. In Ajara it still exists alongside modern beehives, simple in use and management. There are very few places in the world, where wild bees are used by local people and Ajara is one of them.
Even May honey, which in general consists of acacia honey, is not the same across Ajara. In Kobuleti for example the acacia is added to by citrus blossom. And so it varies for every zone according to altitude.
The Caucasian salamander is a tailed amphibian, dwelling only in the western part of the Lesser Caucasus, in Georgia and Turkey. It is listed on the International Red List as one of the most vulnerable species, because of its small habitat and specific environmental requirements. It can be found in the Ajara-Imereti Range and in the extreme west of Trialeti Range, in Borjomi Gorge, Sairme and Asia Minor.
In Ajara human settlements encroach on the habitats of bears much more than in any other part of Georgia. The Forest starts where the garden or small holding ends. With cultivation so close to wild nature, it is not surprising that bears come in close proximity to people and their livestock. Conflicts between them are therefore frequent. Bears often raid fields and beehives.
Ajara provides plenty of food for bear. According to existing data there are more bears here compared with other regions. This happens because productivity and climate of the forest are favorable and because the bear population of Ajara is merged with the population resident in forests in Turkey without any significant barrier between them.
Light and elegant, the roe deer has long thin legs and a short tail. The color of its fur varies according to time of the year. In June, after spring moulting, it has reddish shade, while from the end of October, during the whole winter and spring it is grey. Young roe deer have beautiful pale patches that gradually disappear with maturing.
In Georgia roe deer live in reserves and protected areas as well as in nature. It is not facing extinction but there are not too many of them left in nature. The largest population of roe deer is in Ajara, where they are seldom attacked by humans, because they are believed to be “blessed by Mohammed”.
If you meet in the mountains a black bird similar to a hen, but with well-marked red brows, you can be sure it is male Caucasian Grouse. The Caucasian Black Grouse is an endemic species, which means that it inhabits only the Caucasus mountains. More than half of its entire population and habitat is located on the territory of Georgia. It is quite possible that in the next 20-30 years the grouse will share the fate of other endemic species which are already almost extinct – the leopard, gazelle, hyena, panther and other representatives of our fauna.
