EcoLur
18.600 ha community forests are mapped in cadaster as other land forms, while 13,200 of non-forest land categories have been mapped as forests: these figures refer to the mountainous forests in the north-east of Tavush and Lori Regions, Armenia. Andranik Ghulijanyan, Head of “Zikatar” State Reserve, UNDP “Sustainable Land and Forest Management in Mountain Forests of Northeastern Armenia” Working Group Manager, raised this issue at the round table “What We Lose and Get in Forest Sector in Terms of Climate Change” held at EcoLur Press Club. Andranik Ghulijanyan listed the main obstacles to the management of integrated land areas and forest resources. The first obstacle is the improper management, planning, regulation and institutional frameworks of the integrated land areas and forest resources. Currently the factors ecosystem services, climate change, biodiversity conservation and resource use by the community and potential are not taken into consideration in forest management planning process. Decisions on forest resource management are reached without taking into consideration the value of resource basis, including biodiversity and ecosystem. “There is much incompliance between community administrative area cadaster and forest mapping data on forest-covered resources. We investigated the mapping data of the former administrative borders of 134 communities in Tavush and Lori Regions, and the extent of the imprecision accounts for around 31800 ha, while according to forest management plans, around 18,600 ha of forests were mapped in the cadaster as other land forms, while 13200 ha of non-forest land areas laid down in forest management plans were mapped as forests,” Andranik Ghulijanyan said. The former administrative borders of the aforementioned communities were planned to be mapped only for agricultural land areas in the initial stage of 2002-2004, but later the organizations were assigned to map the forest areas within the administrative areas, which was carried out in tight deadlines without the participation of forest professional, which caused the generation of the aforementioned imprecisions. Agriculture and Nature Protection Ministers were assigned to detect imprecisions of land resource distribution made in drawing up management plans and after complying forest area borders with management plans to submit them for the consent of Regional Heads and Community Heads with further submission to the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre for the purpose of including them in the current land balance. The second obstacle is the minimum experience among the main stakeholders in the government and civil society for the development and implementation of sustainable forest management. The next obstacle is the lack of leverages and privileges for the local communities to take part in the management and preservation of forest works. Forest management plans are mainly developed with insignificant participation of local communities and stakeholders. Another obstacle is the lack of sufficient funds. Andranik Ghulijanyan also outlined the problems with forest recovery and noted that in the frames of UNDP “Sustainable Land and Forest Management in Mountain Forests of Northeastern Armenia” program forest recovery measures will be carried out only in 6 forestry enterprises out of 11 in Tavush and Lori Region - a total area of 4932 ha because of funding. The main measures include fencing and natural regrowth of more vulnerable areas from the viewpoint of conservation etc. Among most important measures he outlined establishing school forestry enterprise in the area of Noyemberyan forestry enterprise, which aims to plant careful attitude in the schoolchildren towards environment, to raise their awareness about flora and fauna, which will result in the increase of their interest in forest professions with further recruitment into forest professionals.
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The “EcoLur” Informational NGO is organizing series of events aimed at public involvement and awareness raising targeted to the future climate change policy directions and development of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) of the Republic of Armenia under UN Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC).
The material is prepared by 'EcoLur' Informational NGO under UNDP Climate Change Program, within the framework of ARM-002/2015 Contract.The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations, including UNDP, or the UN Member States.
July 29, 2015 at 11:28