Armenia

Armenia is one of the world’s renowned biodiversity hotspots. A huge part of that rich biodiversity is within the pasture and grassland ecosystems. Besides the provision of fodder for livestock, pasture and grassland ecosystems also provide a variety of other services, such as regulation of terrestrial water cycle, maintenance of soil productivity and carbon storage, provision of edible plants, medicinal herbs, etc.

Nature is the biggest treasure shared among all nations – the ultimate source of all human life on Earth. The benefits provided by nature such as food, fresh water, medicinal resources, pollination, carbon storage, protection from natural disasters, and others are often referred to as ecosystem services. While ecosystem services are key to sustained livelihood and health, human activities often alter nature irreversibly. Thereby today, more than ever in human history, the consideration of ecosystem services in different sectors of economy and society is crucial for effective and ecosystem-friendly planning processes to secure the well-being of current and future generations. The “Integrating Ecosystem Services into Development Planning” guide is an important methodological tool to advance cross-sectoral integration of ecosystem services, applied in Armenia in the framework of IBiS programme by the joint initiative of the Public Administration Academy of the RA (PAARA) and GIZ on behalf of BMZ. To explore the overall framework of IES in Armenia, we talked to Meri Margaryan, Chief Specialist and Instructor at the Department of Training, Qualification Improvement and Research at the Public Administration Academy of RA (PAARA), and Alla Berberyan, Adviser at GIZ Armenia.

How the world reacted and what is known about the Beirut Blast.

In 2018 Armenia's first sustainable design lab, Proper Plastic, was founded. The company innovatively addresses plastic pollution and waste management, by converting waste plastic materials into commercially viable products while raising environmental awareness. “Proper Plastic” is another chapter for shaping a new mindset for the society in Armenia, leading them care for nature and environment.

In the frame of the 15th measure to neutralize the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Environment has initiated a planting of almost two million willow cuttings in 7 regions of Armenia. Regional Post talked with the Deputy Minister of Environment Vardan Melikyan about the program and how it can be a lifebuoy for the socio-economic crisis that Armenia currently faces.

Currently, we live in quite an erratic world, where “unpredictable” is the new “go-to” word for every situation. Recently, we sat with Marian Salzman, a highly recognized communications expert, the trend-spotter and the senior vice-president of global communications at Philip Morris International to discuss and to try to outline the steps that the humanity and the businesses should take to pop up onto the surface of the water when this flood is over and to do it with dignity and compassion towards their stakeholders.

Organic agriculture development steps in Armenia were undertaken in early 2000s with active participation of local NGOs and the international organizations. Several international agencies and the Armenian government were jointly implementing projects aimed at boosting organic sector development in the country. These efforts, however, were not supported by the simultaneous creation of skilled labour force of farmers and employees involved in the organic sector.

When speaking of waste management in Armenia, we usually discuss problems with waste collection, littering in tourist areas or along roads, overuse of packaging materials including plastic bags, and low rates of recycling. Less talked about, though also critical, is what we do with the waste that we collect. The final disposal sites in Armenia are not managed to acceptable standards, opening the door for environmental, public health, and, even, economic harm. To provide a comprehensive understanding of these issues, the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment has several ongoing projects on solid waste governance in Armenia. Regional Post talked about these projects and their results with Harutyun Alpetyan, the Circular Economy Specialist at the Center.