Armenia

Birds and butterflies are vital indicators for the state of ecosystems and biodiversity. They are living reminders of how important it is to take care of our environment and how insignificant human borders are when it comes to nature. Soon Armenia will have its first bird and butterfly atlases, joining such projects as European Breeding Birds Atlas 2, for the successful conservation of the rich diversity of the species. The atlases will include hundreds of butterfly and breeding bird species flying over the mountains and valleys of Armenia.

Let’s nurture minds of the Armenian youth in understanding and appreciating nature, and incubating agribusiness startups. That’s why a unique project of EcoFarm was founded by the International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education.

The American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment has been around for over 25 years with a mission to make the environment a central point at the global discussions taking place in Armenia. Regional Post talked with the Director of the AUA Acopian Center Alen Amirkhanyan about the present and future of the center and its role in the transformation of the Armenian society.

One of the three great seas of historic Armenia, Lake Sevan is a unique high-altitude freshwater lake, the most important natural resource and national treasure of present-day Armenia. While largely important from ecological, economic, and cultural perspectives, Sevan had been taken for granted and mercilessly exploited for many decades. The alarming trend of water level reduction forced the authorities to partially redirect two of the nearby rivers to the lake through tunnel projects in 1981 and 2004. Level stabilization alone, however, could not prevent continued ecological deterioration of the Lake Sevan. In July of 2018, an excessive algal bloom caused greenish discoloration of Sevan waters, alerting experts of yet another serious problem with water quality. The SevaMod project was initiated with a vision to provide solid, scientifically substantiated solution to this issue. We talked to the SevaMod project coordinator, German scientist Dr. Martin Schultze about the project, its initial results, and future outlook.

A quick look into the Third Republic's parliamentary history.

The story of the family and the brand “Baltayan” is exceptional. Already for three generations, they are keeping the status of the “Best Shoemaker” and “Best Shoe Repairer” of France. Thanks to the energy and vigor of Hagop, Jean and Jean-Christophe Baltayan, a small part of the Armenian heritage lives on the Place of Célestins in Lyon, France, where the family shop is currently located.

“The restoration of the forests should be a pan-Armenian initiative as this is not a task of only one person or organization. We have to do this with mutual efforts. I believe it's possible,” says Vardan Melikyan, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of the Environment. We talked with Mr. Melikyan about the main causes of forest fires in Armenia and discussed the approaches fostered by the Ministry.

This fall, the wave of innovation and technological advancement overwhelmed Armenia, and Global Innovation Forum 2019 entitled “Transforming Intelligence” (GIF19) was one of the key events which took place from 16 to 18 of October. The forum was co-organized by the Government of the Republic of Armenia and Armenian Scientific Diaspora Association (ASDA).