During the three months of autumn 2021, from September 6 to November 26, the damage caused to the environment amounted to 341,903,745 AMD. The majority of this damage equalling to 340,790,368 AMD, was recorded in the field of flora protection according to the calculations carried out by the Nature Protection and Mining Inspection Body. The Nature Protection and Mining Inspection Body has started not to detail in its reports what specific violations were used to calculate that amount. In the past, however, the reports mentioned the violations of the flora protection sector that were found in the regions. They mainly referred to illegal logging, its volume, the amount of damage caused to nature as a result, and fines. We are convinced that most of the damage to the flora is still the result of illegal logging taking place in preparation for winter.
It should be noted that the Nature Protection and Mining Inspection Body estimated the damage caused to forests at about 815 million AMD for 2020.
Reminder: Armenia envisages the adoption of a new National Forest Program under "Actions defined at the national level of the Republic of Armenia under the Paris Agreement for 2021-2030" document and an increase of forest cover by 12.9% of the territory of Armenia until 2030. According to official data, the forest area of Armenia is 11.2%. 1.7% should be added to this very figure to consider that Armenia has fulfilled its commitment. Meanwhile, the 11.2 percent rate has not changed for decades, despite the hard years of the 1990s, as well as the reduction of forest cover in the following years. The question remains whether or not we will be able to stop illegal logging in order to increase forest cover as a result of afforestation.
December 01, 2021 at 17:18