Victoria Burnazyan, EcoLur

The other day “EcoLur” Informational NGO received a SOS signal that a land area of 23 ha is alienated from “Jrvezh” forest park as a result of the new mapping.

“Jrvezh” forest park was founded in 1977 with a territory of 400.43 ha. The forest park has 21 species of plants registered in the Red Book in the category of “rare and extinct species”, such as Eastern Pine, junipers and more than 120 species of trees and bushes etc.

In 2007 the zoning and mapping of the territory began. As a result of this process a new map emerged where the territory of the forest park made up 423 ha, i.e. 23 ha more than before. After a while the State Cadastre was submitted a new map with the initial territory size of 400.43 ha. Under the information we have, the former borders of the forest park have been changed on this map: 23 ha of forest-covered area have been alienated from the forest park and instead a mountainous land area with no vegetation has been introduced. The mapping was carried out by “White Gate” Company.

The land area seized from the forest park locates on the crossroad Garni-Yerevan and makes up 1/10th of all the forest-covered area in “Jrvezh”. Most beautiful pines and foliage tress of Armenia grow in this land area. The most important thing: the main pipes of the irrigation system in the whole forest park run through this area. “To take the irrigation system out of the borders of the park means to lose the park. If the park is deprived of water, it will wither in 1-2 years,” Anahit Harutyunyan, Chief Specialist in Reserve-Park Complex, said.

On 18 June of this year the Government of Armenia adopted a decision on “Jrvezh” forest park. Nevertheless, Gevorg Sargsyan, the Director of Reserve-Park Complex, admitted that he knew nothing about this decision and received no notice about this. “It is not known, which land areas will remain in the borders of the park and which won’t as a result of the mapping,” he said. (Note: “EcoLur” kept its own promise and sent Mr. Sargsyan the electronic version of the government decree with the attachment describing the approved territory of the forest park).

In his turn, the Director of “Jrvezh” forest park got surprised when he learnt about this issue: “This is our territory and we take care of it, clean and water. Why to waste so much effort if this territory is not ours. Let’s turn our efforts to the solution to other problems”. By the way, under the information we have, the Government was presented this land area as a trash dump. This information was indirectly confirmed by a senior official at the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA during a “friendly” conversation: “I have not personally been in that land area, but it is not a trash dump. No matter who these land areas belong to, all the same, they remain in Armenia”. 

The seized land area is transferred to the possession of Vokhchaberd community which is situated in the landslip zone and that’s why the prices of these land areas are rather low there. Most probably the persons interesting in the seizure of the forest-covered land area from “Jrvezh” will acquire it at low price. 

The new borders of the forest park are not the only problem. “Hrant Vardanyan’s Charity Fund” organization rented a land area of 32 ha for 25-year term in the territory of the forest park.   Maybe the process of alienating land areas from “Jrvezh” forest park that has already started, will touch not only upon the aforementioned land area of 32 ha, but also the territory of Hrant Vardanyan’s Charity Fund and other rented land areas of smaller size.  Volodya Voskanyan, Ex-Director of Reserve-Park Complex, Dr. in Biological Sciences, who at present works there as a researcher, outlined that the forest park is a single organism that must remain as it is. “There are plants that die because of water shortage, and there are such plants that die because of much water. Every detail should be taken into consideration. Our task is to deal with the whole park,” Voskanyan said.  

We asked Artashes Ziroyan, Head of Agency on Natural Resources Management of the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA, to comment on this issue. He stated that this issue is versatile and needs examination and suggested applying to the Ministry in writing. Following this advice, Ecolur will publish another enquiry to Aram Harutyunyan, the Minister of Nature Protection of RA, in its next hot ecological news. Investigation goes on.
(See photos).