Armenia hosts action in defence of Tegut forest

In Armenia, on January 15, the initiative groups "Let's save Trchkan Waterfalls" and the "Tegut Protection Group" organized information and ecological campaign to the Lori Region.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that action to protect Tegut forest was aimed to acquaint people with the threat, which, according to ecologists, is faced by the unique natural area as a result of the mining company Armenian Copper Programme (АСР).

Ecologists-campaigners held a small information action in the city of Vanadzor and after that together with the Vanadzor action participants headed for Tegut. The activists delivered a letter to the administration of the mining company, in which they indicated all activities of the company, which, according to the ecologists, had violated the Aarhus Convention.

Akop Sanasaryan, Chairman of the Greens' Union of Armenia, has reported that, apart from 3 years, during which a copper and molybdenum plant will be constructed, in accordance with the project, for 25 years, the company will be cutting down trees there. "Under the project, in total, 175 trees will be cut down; however, those figures are heavily distorted. About 1.5 million young trees have not been registered," Akop Sanasaryan has emphasized.

Besides, according to Akop Sanasaryan, the project for exploitation of the deposit "greatly exaggerates the benefits and underestimates the damage from mining."

Local resident, working at plant, protest against ecologists' action

Ecologists were met by local residents, who were critical to their initiative. They welcome the opening of the deposit, which creates jobs.

Since 1982, Samvel Abovyan, a resident of the village of Uzunlar, works at the Alaverdi copper and molybdenum plant as a driver. According to him, the work at the deposit is the only source of income to his family, where four children grow up.

Angela Matosyan, a resident of the village of Tegut, considers it offensive that "young people from the capital, who earlier had not even heard of Tegut, came to take away a piece of bread from local residents."

"They do not like the fact that trees are cut down? But I do not want those trees. People have jobs and can earn a living. It is enough. Where have those Yerevan residents been years earlier, when people took away cut trees with KamAZ trucks?" Angela Matosyan asks.

She has also emphasized that prior to the opening of the mining company the village of Tegut was in poor condition. "People could not even call an ambulance. And at present we have roads, people have a place to work at, they can cope with their everyday problems," she has added.

Ecologists intend to continue fighting for preservation of Tegut forest

The ecologist Arman Vermishyan believes that at the current political and economic situation, Armenia hardly benefits from the project, since "most of our natural resources will go to some unknown destination, and the state and its people would get a pittance."

According to him, four years ago, when ecologists started the campaign against the exploitation of the Tegut deposit, the government presented four points, which proved the feasibility of opening the deposit. They included creation of new jobs, replenishment of the state budget through taxes from the company, improvement of foreign economic indicators and country's image, and the fact that the production would lead to development of other new industries.

"However, do new jobs really appear? Of course, they don't. Since, if this deposit is exploited, then the Alaverdi copper and molybdenum plant will be closed. Several hundred workers from there will move to Tegut. Besides, if farmers work at the deposit, they will lose their permanent jobs in agriculture," Arman Vermishyan said.