EcoLur
The International Day of Forests is marked in 2016 under the slogan “Forest and Water”. Forests occupy one third of the land on the earth. The welfare of 1.6 billion people depends on forests. Because of global felling, forest territories are reduced at threatening rates – around 13 million ha of forests is felled down annually. This amount of forest could have absorbed from 12 to 30% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of climate change.
Under the conditions of climate change, the role of forests in the availability of water resources increases. Forest preserves water resources. Thus, forest watersheds and waterlogged forest lands supply 75% of available freshwater worldwide. Forest is also a natural filter for water.
According to the official data, 11% of the territory is covered with forests. These figures haven't changed since 1993. There is big discrepancy among the non-official data, i.e. data not accepted by 'ArmForest' SNCO – 6-9%. The discrepancy is explained with the fact that illegal tree felling is so wide-scale that they get out of any control. Registration and inventory of forest is not carried out. According to surveys held in 2010, the consumption of wood in Armenia makes up 709861 cum per year. This figure exceeds the officially permitted amount of tree felling of 30,000-35,000 cum per year by over 20 times. The situation is extremely unfavourable nowadays. According to the results of public forest monitoring, which a group of activists hold in forestry enterprises in the frames of ENPI FLEG II, each monitoring shows that there are hundreds of illegally cut down trees on individual land areas in forestry enterprises. Such rates of felling require new reforestation, nevertheless, the government hasn't allotted any funds for reforestation in 2016. All the tree planting this year will be carried out at the expense of donor organizations.
Happy Forest Day to all!!
March 21, 2016 at 12:23