EcoLur
“I have always opposed to felling, and I would never like the forest to fell down, but you know sometimes the forest felling in inevitable,” said Teghout Community Head Harutyun Meliksetyan in his interview with “EcoLur”, “if here forest is to be cut down, forest felling in other places will be completely banned, people will be even prohibited to enter forest. I support this approach.”
Teghout forest us fell down for the development of copper and molybdenum mine. Already 70 ha forest has been cut down. According to Teghout project, 357 ha forest is to be fell down, but according to independent experts forest will disappear in the whole 1400 ha of territory designed for Teghout project, as individually standing trees cannot be considered to be a forest.
Teghout project plans to carry out reforestation in 714 ha territory.
Teghout community residents don’t take part in forest management processes in any way, though they live in forest. “Teghout” CJSC provides the community poor families the wastes of the fell down forest free of charge. But such charity measures don’t solve one of the most important problems of the community – wirefood: one square meter of firewood costs more than 10,000 AMD.
Under Teghout Community Head, the community opinion should be taken into consideration by those people who make a decision how much forest will be cut down and who it will be sold to. “The Aldermen’s Council is elected by people, let them give their consent or not, and this will be the expression of the people’s will. I think locals will take care of forest better that foreigners, even if this person is the director if “ArmForest” SNCO,” said Meliksetyan.
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June 15, 2011 at 12:40