Envisioning Svaneti-Field Work Presentations

Svaneti is searching for a sustainable future in a continuous field of friction between an emerging local economy and the region`s rich traditions. Against the background of the region`s emerging tourism, the region faces severe changes: An unregulated mass tourism may step-by-step destroy the ecological heritage of the region and decrease the possibilities of the population to contribute to their self-sufficiency through agriculture. In addition, land use in Svaneti has always been closely connected with agricultural and forestry work – so tourism alone cannot contribute to landscape conservation.

During an interdisciplinary field trip, supported by the  Heinrich Boell Foundation`s Tbilisi Office, students from the German University Ostfalia, Tbilisi State University, and Tbilisi Free University visited Latali/Svaneti for 5 days to document local people`s ideas, beliefs, and prospects. In addition, traditional objects, houses, and sacred spaces are mapped and presented in a web project. As one of the first approaches to set Latali on the map, this project seeks to envision a sustainable future for Latali’s participation in tourism.