Tumanyan consolidated community in Lori Region, Armenia, has high productivity natural resources. However, the local people cannot fully use these pastures due to the lack or poor condition of the pasture infrastructures, such as roads, watering holes, and shelters. The overuse of available pastures has become the cause of soil degradation.
"Due to the practice of overgrazing, serious degradation processes have been formed in various regions of Armenia and in the rural areas of Lori Region, which is also facilitated by climate change. An increase in temperature brings with it changes in humidity",- said Gagik Tovmasyan, head of the Department of Crop Production and Soil Science at the National Agrarian University of Armenia.
In order to solve the problems with Tumanyan community's pastures, within the framework of "Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" (LILA) project, one watering hole and shelter was built in Lorut and Dsegh settlements, two watering holes in Martz, the road leading to remote pastures in Ahnidzor settlement was repaired, and a new watering hole is being built. These works are aimed at solving several problems: preservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and biodiversity, increasing adaptation to climate change, sustainable development of animal husbandry and improvement of social conditions.
Gagik Tovmasyan checked the quality of the works on the spot. "Our goal is to preserve the natural resource in such a way that we have the possibility of continuous use over the centuries in terms of preserving biodiversity, mitigating or eliminating the problems of possible degradation of vegetation," he outlined.
Gagik Tovmasyan emphasized the issue of pasture management from the perspective of climate change. "Pasture areas in Armenia occupy about 1 million 50 thousand hectares, which is about 50 percent of agricultural land. With our actions, we are obliged to perform such functions as to solve the problem of adaptation as much as possible, and also to mitigate the risks of these effects," he noted.
Arman Chopuryan, Adviser to Head of Tumanyan Community, referring to the importance of the performed works, told Ecolur, "In many places, the nearest water is 800-900 meters away. People spent a lot of time and resources doing their daily chores and providing water for their livestock. The creation of water wells makes the life of the villagers easier. In the case of habitations, the process of spraying animals was often omitted in the mountains, because it was not possible to gather the animals somewhere and carry out the vaccinations.
"Until now, we have not had shelter. It was built in a place where our mountaineers live, and there are many cattle there. The work of the veterinarian has become easier. The installation of watering holes is also in the final stage, which will reduce the movement of cattle and they will have enough water. All this contributes to the increase of food supply for livestock", Garnik Hovsepyan, Administrative Head of Dsegh, outlined.
In the framework of LILA project, pasture management plans have also been developed, which will contribute to the sustainable use of pastures.
"Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" (LILA) is a seven-year project financed by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and is implemented by the Caucasian and Armenian offices of WWF in cooperation with "Strategic Development Agency" (SDA) NGO.
August 27, 2024 at 14:13