Citizen Beating Alarm Signal on Illegal Felling of Trees on Lake Sevan Shore, Whereas Official Denying It

Citizen Beating Alarm Signal on Illegal Felling of Trees on Lake Sevan Shore, Whereas Official Denying It

On June 15, an alarm signal was posted on Facebook about felling down poplars in Litchq. The author of the alarm signal was Garik Simonyan, a resident of Lichq settlement, Gegharkunik Region, who posted about it on his Facebook page.

Following the alarm signal, "EcoLur" contacted Artush Ghukasyan, Head of Gegharkunik Regional Department of Nature Protection and Mining Inspection Body, who ruled out the fact of illegal logging. "We found the caller, went with him to the mentioned place to observe the place. We did not see any illegally felled trees there. The 187 trees that were allegedly cut down, they were felled down 2-3 years ago. When he says that felling goes on, experts point to trees that are bent, old or rotten, which they mark, peel the skin in order to number them later. That process is still going on, so that they can draw up an act, bring it by order, sign it, and only then fell the trees down. The decree of the director of “Sevan National Park” exists together with the decree of Environment Minister on sanitary felling," he said.

June 16, 2022 at 18:43