EcoLur
On 21 March World Forestry Day is celebrated, which should remind us of the need to protect forests, to guard people from environmental disasters and extinction. During 10,000 years people destroyed 26 million square kilometers of forests, leaving only 38 million square kilometer. Each second the Earth loses over 1.5 ha of virgin forest. International Forest Day was initiated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the support of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971. In all the corners of the world demonstrations, contests and exhibitions are carried out in the support of forest. Armenia lost huge areas of forest in the early 90’s due to energy crisis and blockade. When the crisis was overcome, tree felling turned into a profitable business, which continues till now. The Armenian population burns each year at least 650,000 cubic meters of wood in their ovens. In some forest-free areas, the price for wood makes up 20,000-22,000 AMD for one cubic meter. Nevertheless, under the official data, the amount of illegal felling decreases.
Only one event was organized in Yerevan on 21 March for the World Forestry Day. The GIZ held a seminar “Steps for Sustainable Development of Forests”. But the official websites of stakeholder ministries and departments don’t contain any information that 21 March is World Forestry Day.
March 21, 2013 at 19:01