Armenia harmonizes forest-monitoring system

ArmInfo. Armenia is harmonizing forest-monitoring system.  This was discussed at a  seminar organized in Yerevan by the Eurasian Economic Commission, the  UN and FAO, which were attended by more than 30 national experts.

As noted at the workshop, in recent years, serious structural changes  have occurred in Armenia that have affected the forest sector.  Forests, which were previously under the auspices of the Ministry of  Agriculture, are now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Nature  Protection - along with issues related to the preservation of the  environment. These changes, the event participants noted, make it  possible to create a harmonized and more effective system of forest  monitoring and management, as well as create an impetus to complete  the development of a set of criteria and indicators at the national  level for sustainable forest management. This set, which has been  developed in recent years with the participation of many  stakeholders, addresses forest-related topics such as forest area,  biodiversity, socio-economic impacts, productive and protective  functions. Using the kit, one can transparently assess Armenia's  progress in achieving national forestry goals, including reducing  illegal logging and protecting forests and forest lands, and thus  support evidence-based policy development. A set of criteria and  indicators can also contribute to the development of a new national  forest program.

Armenia is part of the "Accountability Systems for Sustainable Forest  Management in the Caucasus and Central Asia" project funded by the  United Nations Development Account (UNDA), which supports several  countries in this process.

"The results of this seminar can make a significant contribution to  the positive changes that have taken place in Armenia in order to  increase accountability and transparency in the forest sector," said  Deputy Chairman of the Forestry Committee of the Ministry of Nature  Protection of the Republic of Armenia Vahe Matsakyan. In 2017,  Armenia ratified the Paris Agreement, pledging, among other things,  to increase its forest cover to 20.1% by 2050. For several years,  remote sensing technologies have been used to monitor forests in  Armenia. As a result, forest information is regularly updated and  made available, which allows conclusions to be drawn about the  historical forest situation in the country. This information is used,  in particular, to monitor and manage forest fires and changes in  forest areas and the state of ecosystems.

"It is extremely important to create a functioning forest monitoring  system that would assess the progress and quality of restoration  work," said, Deputy Head of the UNECE / FAO Forestry and Timber  Section Ekrem Yazici. Republic of Armenia is following approximately  23 countries who are already using this approach, which promises to  improve dialogue and communication on sustainable forest management.