ENVIRONMENTALISTS: ROAD CONSTRUCTED FOR “KHACHAGHBYUR 2” SHPP FACILITATED TREE FELLING IN IJEVAN RESERVE -VIDEOS
18:55 November 18, 2014
EcoLur
The environmentalists state that the road constructed for “Khachaghbyur
2” SHPP facilitated illegal tree feller to easily penetrate into
the valley of Paghjur River and to conduct tree felling in Ijevan
reserve. Pan-Armenian Environmental Front member Levon Galstyan and
environmentalist Gor Hovhannisyan stated at the press conference held
at EcoLur Press Club on 18 November.
“I have known this alley since 1990, and I have walked through the
whole valley. The forest there used to be so thick that a person could
hardly pass through it. “During the construction of “Khachaghbyur
2″ SHPP the forest was eliminated and nobody was punished for it:
this road was constructed for SHPP and now the access to difficult
parts of the forest became easier and facilitated the mass felling
of the trees.”
On 13 November Levon Galstyan and environmentalist Gor Hovhhanisyan
visited Paghjur and could see many cut down trees in the valley of
Paghjur River and the cars without number plates.
…Tree felling was always common in Armenia. But if the firewood will
get more and more expensive, the forests will eventually be destroyed
within 15-20 years, if the felling rates continue like this…”
environmentalist Gor Hovhannisya said.
“We are sure that over 90% is not legal, as we saw about 90 felled down
trees in that section…The Forest Code clearly says, if the forest
has protective significance and are located at slant of 30 degrees
and over, the trees can’t be felled down. While the slopes we saw have
a slant of 40-45 degrees, i.e. the code has clearly been violated.”
Arthur Gabrielyan, Deputy Director at “Ijevan Forestry” Branch of
“ArmForest” SNCO, denied the information about 200 felled trees stated
by the environmentalists. “Mr. Galstyan, you said you saw 200 felled
down trees, but the ad hoc committee from “ArmForest” SNCO conducted
monitoring of the spot and found only 12 felled down trees.”
The environmentalists insisted that they could show over 200 felled
down trees in the given area. They also outlined they oppose not to
the forestry officer, but the system.
The area we visited is Ijevan reserve, but it doesn’t matter whoever
we state it at Agriculture Ministry and “ArmForest” SNCO, they don’t
want to acknowledge the fact it’s a reserve area, while all sorts of
felling are banned in the reserve area,” Levon Galstyan said.
Under Arthur Gabrielyan, Ijevan forestry enterprise as over 2600 ha
forest under its protection, and around 2000 cum is annually allotted
for felling according to forest management plan, 500 ha of which is
located on the slopes.
Ijevan forestry enterprise has 28 forestry officers, who watches 1000
ha forest 8 hours a day, five days a week for 70,000 AMD.
Levon Galstyan made proposals to the competent bodies on forest
preservation:
1. If to set control on the roads, nobody will dare to take trees
out of forests either legally or illegally on trucks,
2. To change the attitude towards the forests,
3. To establish special areas in “ArmForest” SNCO for planting
fast-growing species, which will be grown and then fallen down for
firewood.
RA state budget allotted 1,026,395.8 AMD for forestry enterprises,
while the bill for 2015 state budget envisages to provide 1,255,803.4
AMD.
From: A. Papazian