EcoLur
How forest sector is managed in Armenia and Georgia, to what extent near-forest community population is dependent on forest and what priority reforms are needed to be carried out to improve the state of forests in these both countries. Armenian and Georgian experts and journalists discussed these issues in the frames of ENPI EAST FLEG II project during the masterclass and media tour organized by “EcoLur” Informational NGO.
Journalists and experts
Inga Zarafyan
By presenting the objective of the masterclass and media tour “EcoLur” Informational NGO President Inga Zarafyan mentioned that this event aims to increase the awareness of the journalists’ knowledge on the issues in forest sector and works implemented by bodies in charge, to ensure transparency and formation of public opinion with the help of mass media publications.
Sirarpi Haykazyan
According to Sirarpi Haykazyan’s assessment, FLEG II Coordinator from World Bank, non-sustainable management of forests, illegal felling, social state of population, non-sufficient funding of forest sector by government are common problems both for Armenia and Georgia.
“I think through this project we will be able to increase the significance of this field and attention of the governmental bodies to forests and we expect to improve legislative field,” Sirarpi Haykazyan said.
Hovik Sayadyan
Forest problems in Armenia according to experts:
Hovik Sayadyan, Professor at YSU Faculty of Geography and Geology, “The current number one problem in Armenia is the loss of forest quality, which should be recovered.”
The problem here is not felling, but the way how they are carried out – in incorrect places and incorrect amounts, which disturbs the genetic composition of the forest.
Besides, if fellings are not carried out properly, they lead to land erosion, environmental problems and forests don’t perform their ecosystem services effectively, such as water protection, water regulation, and consumption of carbon dioxide, which will result in lower ecological opportunities for our forest ecosystems. In this regard, we’re experiencing a problem with the number of forestry specialists, who will deal with forest reforestation problems.
Nazeli Vardanyan
Nazeli Vardanyan, Director of “Forests of Armenia” NGO, “We fell down more than the annual regrowth of forest is. It impacts the thoroughness and species types. You can see a tree, but this tree doesn’t have value, because high-value tree species have disappeared and replaced with low-value species.”
Levon Galstyan
According to Levon Galstyan, member of Pan-Armenian Environmental Front, the volunteers of “Public Monitoring of Forests” project implemented with the support of ENPI East Countries FLEG II, detected around 2500 illegally felled down trees in Lori, Tavush and Syunik regions in 2015. According to the official data, 1273 trees were cut down in 2015.
Lyuba Balyan
Luba Balyan, FLEG II Coordination from the IUCN, “During each visit, which lasted for 3-4 days, the volunteers detected 300-400 illegally cut down trees. These trees were mainly located on very high and steep slopes. With naked eyes you can see they are illegally cut down. Any tree located at such angle, can’t be legally felled down. I do know that the employees of forestry enterprises tried to hinder the monitoring in some cases. It means that currently our forestry enterprise and government in general are not ready for such detections. There are people, who are interested in our forest resources to be shadow, as if the resource is not recorded, you can use it irrationally and without being punished. Forest is mainly cut down by people, who have access to so-called “ticket of access” to forest. Generally, ordinary people don’t possess “ticket of access”, but people with relevant ties. Yes, there are ordinary people, who are involved in this process – felling and sale. We say that forest is mainly cut down for fuel wood, but we all have already realized that it’s not only fuel wood. A large part is business and sale is commerce.”
Ruben Petrosyan
Chief Forester and Deputy Director of “ArmForest” SNCO Ruben Petrosyan, “Illegal felling will always exist in countries, where social situation is hard. The problem is to reduce their number. In 1994 the number of illegally cut down trees was 450,000, in 2004 – 32,000, in 2014 – around 2000-3000 trees. That is, there is tendency of reduction. The official data have never complied with the expert, nevertheless, the expert data are not the last word of the truth.”
Hranush Kharatyan
ENPI FLEG I expert, publicist, Hranush Kharatyan, “There are people, who are sued for felling down trees and pay a fine of 150,000-250,000 AMD, but there are people, who cut down hundreds cubic meters, but they are not sued. I think this situation will continue, if the problem is practically not settled in court.”
Aghasi Mnatsyan
“Center for State Monitoring of Forest” SNCO specialist Aghasi Mnatsyan, “State forest monitoring is not carried out in all forest areas, partial or selected monitoring is carried out, as we have only 19 employees, and it’s impossible to monitor 330,000 ha during one year.”
Marika Kavtarishvili
Forest sector problems and reforms in Georgia
Marika Kavtarishvili - ENPI FLEG II Program Coordinator, Georgia, Acting Head of Office, Caucasus Cooperation Center (IUCN), “The biggest problem is that near-forest community population have large dependence on forest. 70-95% of near-forest resident use wood as fuel. With the FLEG project we have already calculated what such kind of dependence can lead to. If this situation doesn’t change, it can lead to very serious problems in forest ecosystem in upcoming 5 years. Residents use wood fuel, as it's more affordable than gas. Forest Code should, first of all, be changed to solve the problems related with the forests in Georgia. National Forest Agency in Georgia is already working in this direction. The new code will be ready in 2017. The most important thing in new the ode is forest zoning, which will exactly show where and what is permitted.”
Ani Andronikashvili
Anna Andronikishvili - PR specialist, National Forest Agency of Georgia (NFA) presented the forest sector reforms in Georgia. She outlined National Forest Program, which is directed at forest planting, reforestation, national and legislative reforms, forest inventory and monitoring, forest adaptability to climate change and economic rationale of forests.
Siranush Galstyan
Specially Protected Areas of Nature
The specially protected areas of nature in Armenia account for 332.333 ha or around 11.17% of the total areas in Armenia. Siranush Galstyan, ENPI EAST FLEG II coordinator from WWF Armenia, said that Armenia is currently implementing a program on eco-corridors joining specially protected areas of nature. “It supposes correct planning of landscapes and land areas. In this way, the preservation of more land areas beyond specially protected areas of nature can be ensured.”
Anahit Mkrtchyan
Dependence of near-forest villages of Armenia from forest
IUCN National Consultant for 2012-2016 Anahit Mkrtchyan said Syunik regional residents get the most benefit from the forest and added that 43% of income received from forest is fuel wood.
Victoria Burnazyan
“During one season each family uses from 10 to 15 cum wood, while annual demand makes up 600-650 cum mainly for heating purposes,” said Editor-In-Chief, www.ecolur.org, Victoria Burnazyan. She presented the volumes of legally cut down felling permitted by “ArmForest” for 2004-2015 and noted it’s not enough and can’t meet the demand of the population. “In 2015 the volume of legal felling made up 25.977 cum, out of which 3174 cum was designed for construction.”
Incompliance of forest land data in cadaster maps
Victoria Burnazyan, “18,600 ha in Lori and Tavush communities are mentioned as other land areas in cadaster maps, while 13,200 ha of non-forest land categories has been mapped as forest. The studies of mapping materials of the former administrative borders of 134 communities in Tavush and Lori regions showed that the extent of incompliance makes up around 31,800 ha.”
Watch more details in the video.
This material has been prepared in the course of the training and media tour designed for journalists in the frames of ENPI FLEG II, which is implemented by the World Bank in partnership with the IUCN and WWF with the financial support of the Austrian Development Agency.
October 05, 2016 at 19:11