Mediamax
The realization of the “Inkar’’ Company's business-project and scheduled construction works aimed to transform Magela cave into a tourism zone may lead to disappearance of a colony of bats registered in Armenia’s Red Book.
The President of “Ecolur” NGO Inga Zarafyan said this today, Mediamax reports.
According to her, the company plans to organize guided tours to the cave: construction works will be conducted and electric lighting will be installed to this end.
“8 species of bats inhabit in the cave, 6 of which are registered in the Red Book. The noise of the construction works may lead to the bats’ migration and possibly to their disappearance”, she said.
In his turn, Mekhak Apresyan, Head of Tourism and Territorial Economic Development Department of Armenian Ministry of Economy, said that an environmental expertise was conducted before the project’s launch and the experts gave a positive assessment.
“Conditions of this territory's exploitation aimed to maintain the ecosystem balance will be elaborated and introduced so as not to endanger the bats. Besides, there will be fixed hours for visiting the cave”, explained Mekhak Apresyan.
August 17, 2011 at 16:17