The kick of meeting of "Development of Aquaculture and Fisheries Education for Green Deal in Armenia and Ukraine: FROM EDUCATION TO ECOLOGY" (AFISHE) Erasmus+ CBHE was held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
Within the framework of this project, International Scientific and Educational Center of NAS RA and Armenian National Agrarian University will develop a new joint master's educational program based on Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA. A sectoral network of aquaculture and fish farms will be created between Armenia, Ukraine and European countries, which will serve as a platform for joint educational and research activities in the fields of aquaculture and fish farms.
Ruben Harutyunyan, Academician-Secretary of Division of Natural Sciences of NAS RA, RA Environment Deputy Ministers Tigran Gabrielyan and Aram Meimaryan, Arman Khojoyan, the RA Deputy Economy Minister Arman Khojoyan, Vardan Urutyan, Rector of Armenian National Agrarian University, Lana Karlova, Programme Coordinator of Erasmus+ National Office in Armenia, Svitlana Shitykova - Programme Coordinator of National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine participated in the meeting, as well as directors of research organizations of NAS RA, HEI representatives and the representatives of Sumy National Agrarian University and NUWEE.
The event was opened by Arusyak Harutyunyan, International Scientific-Educational Center of NAS RA.
Ruben Harutyunyan, Academician-Secretary of Division of Natural Sciences of NAS RA, welcomed the participants. "We are witnessing how the nature of the Ararat valley is destroyed by the irrational use of artesian springs, the fauna and flora of Lake Sevan is destroyed, and the creation of hydroelectric power plants affects the ecocenoses. This international initiative is very necessary for our country, and the participation of the centers of the National Academy of Sciences is welcomed. On behalf of the administration of the academy, I wish success to your excellent initiative," Ruben Harutyunyan said.
Director of ISEC NAS RA Armen Sargsyan outlined, “The overall goal of this project is to decrease the negative impact of aquaculture and fishery industry on the environment in Armenia and Ukraine through the designing and development of Master’s degree programs in aquaculture and fisheries, that is benchmarked to high-quality similar programs in Europe and responsive to national and regional needs, and strengthening the university-enterprise-research cooperation (concept "from education to ecology"). Relevant labs will be established both in Armenia and Ukraine.
He noted that ISEC’s "Hydrobiology and Aquaculture" Department was established at the Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology.
RA Environment Deputy Ministers Tigran Gabrielyan said, "In Armenia, due to climate change and temperature rise, the level of evaporation has increased, there is a problem of scarcity of water resources, therefore the effective management of water biological resources is important. Aquaculture is a reliable source of meeting the demand for fish stocks, for the development of which deep knowledge about the structural biological and ecological features of fish, the abilities and skills of the future fish breeder based on them are important. The Ministry of Environment welcomes the idea of introducing a new master's education program, which will serve as a basis for the training of managers of aquaculture and fish farms.”
RA Economy Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan, "Today, the fish farming sector is one of the rapidly developing branches of the agricultural sector in Armenia. In 2022, the production in this sector reached 25 thousand tons, compared to 2021, the increase was about 25 percent. The demand for food is increasing all over the world, and at the same time, the agricultural sector is facing many challenges. Among them, I would like to highlight global warming, which forces the economical use of natural resources, which will ensure the even development of the agricultural sector. We can have more tangible results if the sector is provided with high-quality specialists who will be guided by the latest methods and technologies." Lana Karlova, Programme Coordinator of Erasmus+ National Office in Armenia, congratulated the project participants and said, “We will have new professionals who will bring new approaches to how to operate in agriculture, aquaculture, fish farms.”
During this event Director of International Scientific-Educational Center of NAS RA and Armenian National Agrarian University Rector Vardan Urutyan signed a collaboration memorandum.
"Development of Aquaculture and Fisheries Education for Green Deal in Armenia and Ukraine: FROM EDUCATION TO ECOLOGY" (AFISHE) Erasmus+ CBHE is implemented by International Scientific-Educational Center of NAS RA, Armenian National Agrarian University and Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA. The European partners are University of Dubrovnik, University of Porto and Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The Ukrainian partners are Sumy National Agrarian University and NUWEE.
Science Popularization and Public Relations Department of NAS RA
January 26, 2023 at 12:42