Ahead of the October 2026 Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), EcoLur Informational NGO held an awareness-raising meeting on 3 August in Vernashen settlement of Yeghegnadzor community, Vayots Dzor Region.
“Community participation in COP17 should be reflected in the fact that the community’s problems are not only documented and brought to public attention, but also presented to international partners. Biodiversity conservation should become the foundation of community development programmes. We face major challenges related to biodiversity, and we need to document them, raise them publicly, and make sustained efforts, step by step, to protect our environment,” noted Hayk Isakhanyan, a Vernashen resident and participant in the meeting.
Water Resources: A Priority Issue
The conservation of water resources is an essential condition for protecting the landscapes and animal and plant species of the region. Water is also crucial for improving the quality of life of local residents and serves as an economic driver for reducing poverty, which, in turn, contributes to the conservation of natural resources, including biodiversity.
“I see the biggest and most fundamental problem as being linked to biodiversity, which depends on water resources. If we can keep our water clean, we will be able to live here, and our environment will remain clean and have the opportunity to develop,” he said.
One of the key priorities in Vernashen is the conservation of water resources and access to water. “Vernashen village does not have a drinking water supply. The issue of both irrigation water and drinking water was already being raised during the Soviet era,” Hayk Isakhanyan notedQ.
During the Soviet era, the Gyadikvank–Yeghegnadzor water pipeline was under construction. “We want the construction of that water pipeline to be completed, which would provide drinking water to Vernashen, Gladzor, and Yeghegnadzor. The entire region would become irrigable. Around 1,500 families could live with dignity, sow crops, and cultivate the land. This would be a major benefit for our people, and we would also have access to quality drinking water,” he said.
In the context of the development of Yeghegnadzor and Vayots Dzor Region, Hayk Isakhanyan also emphasized the importance of clearly defining economic priorities. In his view, it is necessary to understand what kind of development the community and the region want. “People and the government need to be able to distinguish what it is that we want. Do we want to develop mining, or do we want to invest resources in tourism and biodiversity conservation? Those mines have operated for 20 years, and our generation is already experiencing the consequences. Our way of life is incompatible with mining,” he said.
Hayk Isakhanyan spoke about alternative pathways for community development. “We have calculated several times that we could achieve a much greater economic return by developing wine production, beekeeping, horticulture, and meat production. We have historical and cultural monuments here; tourist flows are increasing year by year, as is the number of guesthouses. Around 25,000 people live in Vayots Dzor. It is not right to leave those 25,000 people without income for the benefit of a few mining companies,” he said.
He proposed raising the issues of water resources, forests, and the establishment and conservation of green spaces at COP17.
The project “Strengthening Civil Society Leadership and Biodiversity Governance Ahead of COP17 in Armenia” is implemented by EcoLur Informational NGO with the support of the Armenia office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Yerevan Office – South Caucasus Region.
To be cotinued
August 24, 2026 at 15:36