Dr, Karen Aghababyan Wins Withley Award
May 15, 2007
HULIQ, NC
Dr. Karen Aghababyan received The Whitley Award donated by The Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature from HRH The Princess Royal and Sir David Attenborough at London’s Royal Geographical Society last night. It is the first time anyone from the Armenia has won the Award, which is worth £30,000.
Dr Aghababyan’s research is focused in the Ararat Valley, home to agriculture for thousands of years. During the Soviet years the wetland areas were reduced by Government draining and although they are slowly recovering a new threat has emerged - Armenia has been granted $200 million for infrastructure development, including draining the Ararat wetlands at the base of Mount Ararat, for conversion to agriculture.
Armenia is of great importance to birds. More than 350 species have been recorded including wetland birds such as endangered White-headed Duck, Dalmatian Pelican, and Great Snipe. Of particular importance are the wetlands of the Ararat valley, only 17,000 ha of which remain, following attempts to drain them during the Soviet era.
For centuries the white stork has been regarded with great affection in Europe. Although they were once prolific, the intensification of agriculture and draining of wetlands has resulted in a decline in the populations. Traditionally storks like to keep their feet wet feeding in wetlands ditches or ponds where they catch frogs, lizards and small rodents.
Although many Armenians feel indifferently towards wetlands, white storks are seen as a cultural icon. They are seldom persecuted and when storks nest close to people, on anything from telegraph poles to roofs, it is a sign of good luck.
Dr Aghababyan has made birds popular in Armenia, teaching bird identification courses in English, Russian and Armenian. Using the White Stork as a flagship species, Dr Aghababyan has launched ‘Nest neighbours’, working with farmers and villagers, to increase public understanding of storks and their habitat. By becoming involved in wetland conservation, Armenians are starting to take notice of what is being decided for natural resource use at local, national and international levels. Now, 500 families are involved in ‘Nest-neighbours’ and regularly monitor the Stork population.
Since 1994 the Whitley Awards have been awarded annually. They are worth up to £30,000 each and are one of the largest nature conservation awards available, recognizing outstanding efforts by leading local conservationists whose work is based on sound science and which fully involves local communities.
Edward Whitley, Founder and Chairman of the Whitley Fund for Nature said:
“Using an iconic species like the White Stork is a great way of drawing attention to the drainage of wetlands, too often a neglected habitat. Working under quite difficult conditions, Karen is getting local people involved in conservation and interested in protecting Armenia’s remaining wetlands, which are so important for birds.” www.whitleyaward.org/
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.
HULIQ, NC
Dr. Karen Aghababyan received The Whitley Award donated by The Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature from HRH The Princess Royal and Sir David Attenborough at London’s Royal Geographical Society last night. It is the first time anyone from the Armenia has won the Award, which is worth £30,000.
Dr Aghababyan’s research is focused in the Ararat Valley, home to agriculture for thousands of years. During the Soviet years the wetland areas were reduced by Government draining and although they are slowly recovering a new threat has emerged - Armenia has been granted $200 million for infrastructure development, including draining the Ararat wetlands at the base of Mount Ararat, for conversion to agriculture.
Armenia is of great importance to birds. More than 350 species have been recorded including wetland birds such as endangered White-headed Duck, Dalmatian Pelican, and Great Snipe. Of particular importance are the wetlands of the Ararat valley, only 17,000 ha of which remain, following attempts to drain them during the Soviet era.
For centuries the white stork has been regarded with great affection in Europe. Although they were once prolific, the intensification of agriculture and draining of wetlands has resulted in a decline in the populations. Traditionally storks like to keep their feet wet feeding in wetlands ditches or ponds where they catch frogs, lizards and small rodents.
Although many Armenians feel indifferently towards wetlands, white storks are seen as a cultural icon. They are seldom persecuted and when storks nest close to people, on anything from telegraph poles to roofs, it is a sign of good luck.
Dr Aghababyan has made birds popular in Armenia, teaching bird identification courses in English, Russian and Armenian. Using the White Stork as a flagship species, Dr Aghababyan has launched ‘Nest neighbours’, working with farmers and villagers, to increase public understanding of storks and their habitat. By becoming involved in wetland conservation, Armenians are starting to take notice of what is being decided for natural resource use at local, national and international levels. Now, 500 families are involved in ‘Nest-neighbours’ and regularly monitor the Stork population.
Since 1994 the Whitley Awards have been awarded annually. They are worth up to £30,000 each and are one of the largest nature conservation awards available, recognizing outstanding efforts by leading local conservationists whose work is based on sound science and which fully involves local communities.
Edward Whitley, Founder and Chairman of the Whitley Fund for Nature said:
“Using an iconic species like the White Stork is a great way of drawing attention to the drainage of wetlands, too often a neglected habitat. Working under quite difficult conditions, Karen is getting local people involved in conservation and interested in protecting Armenia’s remaining wetlands, which are so important for birds.” www.whitleyaward.org/
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.
Labels: Armenia - Conservation
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