On November 6, 2024, the third meeting of the national advisory group for “Promotion of Eco-Corridors -II” (PEC) and "Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" (LILA) projects took place in Yerevan.
WWF Armenia Director Levon Aghasyan noted that the first phase of the eco-corridors project in the South Caucasus spanned from 2015 to 2020, during which mapping of target animal habitats and migration routes, as well as inventorying animal populations, were conducted. “In rural settlements involved in the project in Ararat, Syunik, and Vayots Dzor, community environmental areas have been established covering approximately 37,000 hectares. Seven long-term conservation agreements have been signed with the selected communities, and 12 caretakers have been involved in implementing environmental measures in the communities,” he stated.
Regarding the second phase of the project, Levon Aghasyan mentioned, “The second phase of the project kicked off in April 2022. Fifteen new rural settlements from Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Lori, and Tavush Regions have been involved in this project. During this phase, four new community environmental areas covering about 50,000 hectares are being formed, and those established in the previous phase are being expanded. An additional 16 caretakers have been selected to assist in implementing environmental measures during these processes. The total area of the established environmental areas amounts to about 3% of the territory of the republic.”
Armen Shahbazyan, Coordinator of “Promotion of Eco-Corridors -II” project, presented the current report of the project’s second phase. He addressed the idea of forming a new institute aimed at mitigating problems arising from human-wildlife conflicts. “A fund will be established to compensate for damages caused by wildlife attacks. It will be called Solidarity Fund. If we protect the animals and farmers are harmed due to wildlife attacks, we must also consider that. Both the project and the farmers will participate in this fund,” Armen Shahbazyan outlined.
Andranik Gyunjyan, a researcher at Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA, presented the monitoring results of the bezoar goat and Armenian mouflon in Armenia's ecological corridors. According to the researcher, during observations conducted in 2023, mouflon was hardly recorded. “It was only observed by the caretakers. The total number of bezoar goats recorded during the winter amounted to 1,173. We also observed the dynamics of the total number of animals recorded during the breeding season from 2013 to 2023. An increase in the number of bezoar goats was noted in the two community environmental areas of Arpa and Yegheg-South: from 200 to 739 in Arpa and from 144 to 296 in Yegheg-South,” he stated.
Naire Yeritsyan, Coordinator of "Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" (LILA) project, presented the current report on the component implemented by WWF Armenia. According to Naire Yeritsyan, the solar stations installed in the previous reporting period are already generating energy, thereby preventing CO2 emissions and creating budget savings. Naire Yeritsyan also presented the support programs implemented for state structures. “In the framework of combating forest fires, a climate change action program has been developed for six beneficiary forestry enterprises. Naire Yeritsyan also referred to the cooperation with ‘EcoLur’ Informational NGO within this project. “In cooperation with ‘EcoLur’ NGO, we have established a network of public journalists. ‘Voice of Public Journalists’ platform has been created on Facebook social platform, aimed at promoting the active residents of the beneficiary communities. There are more than 50 publications on environmental and social topics on the platform. The platform has over 300 participants. In December, a competition titled ‘Make Voice of Your Community Heard’ will be held for the members of the network of public journalists,” she said.
Gagik Tovmasyan, a lecturer at National Agrarian University of Armenia and consultant for LILA project, presented the actions aimed at sustainable management of pastures within LILA and PEC projects. “An assessment of the current state of pasture management has been conducted within these projects.” According to Gagik Tovmasyan, management plans for pastures have been developed for 14 beneficiary settlements, which include the identification of target wildlife habitats, main and sustainable use zones of pastures, and sustainable grazing practices in sustainable use zones. “Necessary infrastructure for ensuring access to remote pastures and sustainable pasture use has been created and improved. Training courses aimed at developing the capacities of local self-governments and pasture users have also been conducted in beneficiary settlements,” the speaker noted.
"Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" project is funded by the Swiss government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by WWF Caucasus and Armenia offices in collaboration with “Strategic Development Agency” NGO.
To be continued in upcoming publications.
November 12, 2024 at 17:20