In Armenia, mass felling of trees in Azat Gorge under investigation

On January 6, in Armenia, activists from the NGO "Velosiped+" (Bicycle) found traces of the mass felling of trees in the Azat Gorge. At present, the Republic's Ministry of Nature Protection conducts the investigation into the incident.

According to Samvel Ovanesyan, the member of the public organization "Velosiped+", on January 6, a group of cyclists decided to organize a cycling trip in the direction of Azat Gorge, and they occasionally noticed traces of tree cutting. "Trees were cut down around the entire gorge, and traces were fresh. All stubs were masked with heaps of brushwood," said Samvel Ovanesyan. "Besides, we found there a lot of spent cartridges and a large number of traps, some of which we neutralized."

Samvel Ovanesyan stated that the members of the group "Velosiped+" had informed Artsrun Pepanyan, the Chief of Public Relations of the Ministry of Nature Protection, about the incident. "We gave him all photos and filmed materials and demanded to investigate the incident and to punish the guilty persons," Samvel Ovanesyan has added.

According to Asmik Mkrtchyan, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Nature Protection, they received no official statement from the public, and staff members of the Ministry learned of the incident from the reports disseminated by the media. At the instructions of Aram Arutyunyan, Minister of Nature Protection, a commission has been established, which conducts an investigation to determine the size of the damage inflicted.