Within the framework of the “Leopard Conservation in the Southern Caucasus” Project, WWF Armenia has installed electric fences in the Ararat, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces of Armenia to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict.
The mitigation of human-wildlife conflict has always been a matter of concern for WWF Armenia. Because of their small number in Armenia and their living habits, the damage from leopards to the farms is almost non-existent, which leads to the peaceful coexistence of leopards with farmers in the country. Meanwhile, with the increase in the number of the Brown Bear as a result of conservation efforts and increased cases of their interaction with people, many of the farmers of the target communities of the project have incurred agricultural damage. Thus, since 2021 the project has expanded its focus beyond mitigation of human-leopard conflict and has undertaken steps toward mitigating the more relevant human-bear conflict.
“Based on the individual requests from members of the project’s target communities, WWF Armenia has provided the beekeepers with electric fences to protect their beehives from the Brown Bear,” mentioned Zhak Niazyan, Communications and Partnerships Head of WWF Armenia.
The project aims to ensure the security of Brown Bears and, at the same time, prevent the farmers from further damage.
WWF Armenia plans to provide further assistance to other farmers in the target communities of the project.
Numerous cases of similar bear damage have been recorded worldwide, in mitigation of which electric fence has proved to be one of the most effective approaches. The method has shown its efficiency in Armenia as well.
WWF Armenia
August 23, 2022 at 16:52