Armenia: Deforestation Plans Ditched
By Arevhat Grigorian in Shikahogh (CRS No. 294, 07-Jul-05)
Arevhat Grigorian is a correspondent for the newspaper website Hetq in Yerevan.
The Armenian government has abandoned plans to build a new highway through a nature reserve after an unusual public outcry, led by local environmental groups.
In June, the government approved a road route linking Armenia and Iran, to the south, via the Shikahogh reserve. See Armenia's Shikahogh Nature Reserve and Mtnadzor Forest at Great Risk and Government Bends To Protests And Agrees To Leave Intact Shikahogh Reserve .
Instead, the road will now circumvent Shikahogh and the Mtnadzor forests, home to unique trees, plants and even a small number of rare panthers.
[...]
The name Shikahogh (orange earth) comes from the orangey, fiery red colour of soil in the area. Scientists say the ten thousand hectares of forest help to moderate hot winds blowing from desert plains in Iran to the south. The vegetation is also influenced by air from the Caspian Sea to the east. These climatic conditions have created a mix of flora and fauna unique to the region, they say.
The oldest parts of the forest in Shikahogh are 1,000 years old. The growth is so thick in places it block out almost all sunlight, meaning that deep in the forest even the brightest days can seem dark here. Experts say the local ecosystem has been kept intact largely because of the region’s remoteness.
[...]
Opponents of the plan then appealed to the president of Armenia, the chairman of the National Assembly and the prosecutor general, demanding the project through Shikahogh be scrapped. Some in Armenia say influential Diaspora figures lobbied extensively and met with President Robert Kocharian in an effort to overturn the decision to build the road.
The president of the Armenian Forests NGO, Jeffrey Tufenkian, told IWPR, “Yes, we believe this is a great precedent. We would like to see the continuation of this kind of involvement by NGOs, international organisations, the Diaspora and the general public. If this kind of public participation continues, Armenia will have a great future.”
But Tufenkian said it remained to be seen whether the decision to cancel the road project through the reserve was part of a larger trend.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Arevhat Grigorian is a correspondent for the newspaper website Hetq in Yerevan.
The Armenian government has abandoned plans to build a new highway through a nature reserve after an unusual public outcry, led by local environmental groups.
In June, the government approved a road route linking Armenia and Iran, to the south, via the Shikahogh reserve. See Armenia's Shikahogh Nature Reserve and Mtnadzor Forest at Great Risk and Government Bends To Protests And Agrees To Leave Intact Shikahogh Reserve .
Instead, the road will now circumvent Shikahogh and the Mtnadzor forests, home to unique trees, plants and even a small number of rare panthers.
[...]
The name Shikahogh (orange earth) comes from the orangey, fiery red colour of soil in the area. Scientists say the ten thousand hectares of forest help to moderate hot winds blowing from desert plains in Iran to the south. The vegetation is also influenced by air from the Caspian Sea to the east. These climatic conditions have created a mix of flora and fauna unique to the region, they say.
The oldest parts of the forest in Shikahogh are 1,000 years old. The growth is so thick in places it block out almost all sunlight, meaning that deep in the forest even the brightest days can seem dark here. Experts say the local ecosystem has been kept intact largely because of the region’s remoteness.
[...]
Opponents of the plan then appealed to the president of Armenia, the chairman of the National Assembly and the prosecutor general, demanding the project through Shikahogh be scrapped. Some in Armenia say influential Diaspora figures lobbied extensively and met with President Robert Kocharian in an effort to overturn the decision to build the road.
The president of the Armenian Forests NGO, Jeffrey Tufenkian, told IWPR, “Yes, we believe this is a great precedent. We would like to see the continuation of this kind of involvement by NGOs, international organisations, the Diaspora and the general public. If this kind of public participation continues, Armenia will have a great future.”
But Tufenkian said it remained to be seen whether the decision to cancel the road project through the reserve was part of a larger trend.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 5:46 AM
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