A Garden in Need of a Transformation

Never before had Georgia had a botanical garden custodian such as Mr. Tamaz Darchidze. He came, he saw, and he conquered the problems that plagued the Georgian botanical gardens for years due to political instability following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mr. Darchidze revived the pride of Georgia’s once-renowned national botanical garden. He transformed the dilapidated botanical garden into something that is nearly perfect now. He achieved this monumental feat through his unparalleled managerial style, not to mention his other equally worthy characteristics.

Educational Background

Tamaz earned his Master’s degree in History from Batumi State University and has a PhD in Archaeology. His primary scientific focus was the archaeology and history of the transitional period from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages in the eastern Black Sea area. As a student in the Archeology and Literary Studies doctoral programs at the Faculty of Humanities of BSU, he won the 2021 competition for doctoral research grants from the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia.

Throughout his studies at BSU, Tamaz was innovative in launching programs for students. He was appointed chairman of the university’s first student self-government of the first convocation. Under this extraordinary title, he founded a student scientific center to engage his peers in science and teaching. 

As a multidisciplinary leader, Tamaz implemented municipal youth policies and programs to cater to the youth’s needs. Batumi City Hall appointed him as head of the youth affairs department and the education, culture, science, and tourism department.

Professional Career

In a transitional period between his educational studies, Tamaz became the exceptional director of the Batumi Botanical Garden, one of the largest gardens in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and the National Botanical Garden of Georgia (NBGG), a botanical research institution in Georgia. He became fully comprehensible on botanical gardens by using the American botanical garden as a model for principles and practices.

Tamaz transformed the NBGG from a research institution of a closed type into a modern public botanical garden in line with international standards proposed by BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) and the international community of botanic gardens. His objective was to contribute to public needs, raise environmentalism, and maintain the conservation of plant diversity.

The botanical gardens became centers for several public programs, which helped raise environmental awareness:

• The Green Expo for ornamental plants
• Flower exhibitions
• The Bread Festival
• Eco educational courses for students and schoolchildren

Within the NBGG, Tamaz managed the Japanese Garden, a large-scale infrastructure project that symbolizes the friendship between Japanese and Georgian gardeners. Japan’s Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, gave Tamaz an honorary certification for his contribution to making a breakthrough and strengthening relations between the Georgians and the Japanese.

While heading the botanical gardens, Tamaz directly led international research and conservation projects. One of his co-authored projects, “Agricultural Culture of Georgia,” earned the National Prize of Georgia in 2022 from Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who recognizes the novelty of the state’s science and culture on an international level. He earned a laureate diploma and a badge for his work as a botanical garden director.

The National Prize of Georgia acknowledges the phenomenal contributions of outstanding individuals to the fields of natural science, life science, politics, economics, and many others. With each award, the global community and Georgian science benefit tremendously in economic, social, and spiritual development.

Tamaz’s impressive contributions to Georgia’s gardens demonstrate his abilities to define essential goals and objectives and lead transformative processes. During his sophisticated tenure, basic foundations for the management and administration of botanical gardens had been established for the first time in modern Georgia. He generated a long-term strategic plan for the national garden, and a fundamental basis for sustainable development was elaborated and adopted. He developed collection and commercial activity policies, annual work programs, and legal and regulatory changes for optimal garden operations.

Published by: Holy Minoza