Arus Hakobyan, Noyan Tapan
According to ten-year National program for Forest Management confirmed by the Armenian Government in 2005, each year 5,000 ha is planned to perform forest plantation and reforestation in Armenia. In 2010 funds were allocated from the state budget for the implementation of this program. State Center for Forest Monitoring Director Artur Alaverdyan made this statement to the “NT” journalist.
Under him, Armenia must increase green territories each year to combat desertification, which is the result of global warming. This also presupposes the allocation of financial funds, which is not fulfilled by the government.
Under “ArmForest” SNCO Director Martoun Matevosyan, now about 30,000 families live in near-forest villages, and each of them needs 10 cubic meters of firewood each year.
“In the whole world, near-forest residents have a right to freely receive forest wastes, i.e. deadwood. We seek to have the same procedure in our country,” said Martoun Matevosyan. He and other specialists in forest management propose to distribute forest wastes and secondary wood to the near-forest residents free of any charge to prevent forest felling by the latter, and also to supply gas to these villages and to set special gas price for locals.
August 16, 2011 at 14:43