Asias aghababiani.

The project is aimed to the study of the threatened insect species of Southern Provinces (Vayots Dzor and Syunik) of Armenia. Target area is characterized by high level and specificity of biodiversity of insects, but some of region’s ecosystems are degraded and even completely destroyed by agricultural practice, unreasonable tree-cutting and especially due to development of mining. Red Book of Armenia includes 65 species of insects of this territory; for 22 of them no conservation measures are applied. Existing EPNAs are not covering all the diversity of region’s ecosystems and range of endangered species. For many of species included into Red Book no modern and exact distributional data are available. Besides species included into Book there are many species of high conservation value (e.g. Armenian endemics) on which data are not enough for assessment of their status; information of them is necessary for further actualization of country’s Red Book. During project implementation it is supposed to carry out field and laboratory surveys of ecosystems of the target area for:

Trychodes zebra.

1) general entomological overlook of different ecosystems using traditional methodology;

2) revealing of endangered species and determination of their populations’ conditions;

3) assessment of current and potential threats;

4) identification of the sites most important for conservation of insects’ fauna.

All the data will be included into our computer database on endangered insects of Armenia and their analysis will be implemented to elaboration of recommendations (including draft Action Plans) for conservation of insects and their containing ecosystems. Public awareness rising is important issue as well because of traditional neglecting of insects conservation problems by country’s conservationists’ society and, particularly, by local peoples, especially in the region characterized by the continuous conflict of interests between immediate economical profits (e.g., from mining activity) and the aims of nature protection.

The project also contains a component of capacity building, since it will provide an opportunity for students of Armenian scientific and education institutions to get practical knowledge, skills and experience in the field and laboratory research and conservation of insects.Finally, some scientific outcomes, e.g. publications on zoogeography, status and protection of rare and endangered insect species are supposed.