Anna Asatryan
Other projects
18 Apr 2006
Contributing to the Identification of Important Plant Areas in Armenia Through the Selection of the Botanical Richness Sites
28 Feb 2014
Identification of the Important Plant Areas of Armenia for Conservation of Plants and Habitats Diversity
The project aims are identification of the sites, representing habitat types of plant conservation concern and preparation of the basis for their management and conservation.
Gundelia armeniaca.
The Important Plant Areas (IPAs) program was conceived in Europe in response to the increasing rate of loss of the irreplaceable wealth of wild plants and habitats. IPAs are the areas of great botanical importance for threatened species (criterion A), plant diversity (B) and habitats (C), which can be identified, protected and managed as sites.
The IPAs project in Armenia started and developed due to the RSG and Booster grants in 2003-2007 mainly involving the first two criteria.
Located in the heart of the Caucasus hotspot for biodiversity Armenia represents all the main habitat types typical to the region with high diversity of plant communities, some of which are unique. As a continuation of the IPAs program this project is focused on a problem of key importance - identification and conservation of the sites, representing threatened habitat types (criterion C).
The project will give the following key outcomes, such as checklist of the habitat types of Armenia and an illustrated catalogue of threatened habitats, also 5 -years management plan for the selected sites to be submitted to the government. The trainings in the regions will provide local conservationists with knowledge and skills for further research, monitoring and conservation of the targeted sites, as well as will help to strengthen our links with local partners and to identify new contacts for further long lasting collaboration.
The project outputs will be spread among the representatives of government, research institutions, NGOs, International organisations, mass media, thus raising the topics on importance of habitat and species in-situ conservation, and promoting the further joint steps towards protection of the habitat diversity of Armenia.
The work contributes to implementation of a number of global and European conventions, strategies and programs linked with conservation of plant diversity and habitats, such as CBD, Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and others, and supports the integration of Armenia into global and European conservation initiatives.