EcoLur
Attention: the Magel cave located in Noravanq Gorge is exposed to a serious threat. The Culture Ministry decided to give the cave to a lease to develop tourism. This alarm signal has already stirred the environmentalists and social networks, where the citizens express their anger with this issue.
EcoLur is applying to Nature Protection Ministry to carry out urgent inspections in the Magel Cave, Vayots Dzor Region, where the red-listed species of bats will be endangered.
Below we present public alarm signals on this issue:
“We can meet 235 animal species in the karstic caves of Armenia, fungi and plants, but the majority of the species is animals - 140. The Magel cave has 81 species, which is conditioned by its location in Noravanq gorge rich in biodiversity,” said Sevak Baloyan, the author of “Karstic Cave Biodiversity in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh” publication.
Professor Eduard Yavruyan, specialist in bats, “Bats picked up the baton from the birds in the elimination of insects. During one night each bat can eliminate up to 500 insects. Now just calculate what you can get and what you will be deprived of,” he said, 'chemistry isn't the best way to struggle with the insects.'
Mamikon Ghasabyan, Head of Vertebrate Laboratory, Institute of Zoology of NAS RA, 'What kind of right does the Culture Ministry have to make a decision to give the Magel Cave to lease, it's unclear. The Magel Cave is the richest one in biodiversity in Armenia. For this very reason, the Culture Ministry should have first applied to the Nature Protection Ministry, as almost half of the bats registered in this cave is red-listed in Armenia, while the Culture Ministry has nothing in common with the biodiversity. It's accidental that the cave is under the supervision of the Culture Ministry, while they want whatever they want to. No bat will stay there, if tourists start visiting it.'
In 2011 'Inkar' LLC presented 'Project on Organizing Tourist Routes in Magel Cave'. Two years have passed and the opinion issued by 'Environmental Expertise' SNCO is considered to be expired. Consequently, all the works currently conducted in the Magel Cave are illegal and are directed at eliminating the biodiversity. Here not only workers, but also the Culture Minsitry bear responsibility for all going on.
We are demanding to stop the illegal actions in progress in the Magel Cave and to make it an offence.
December 27, 2013 at 14:48