Armenian Nature

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

THE DIVERSITY OF ARMENIA ARMENIA, AN ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, HOSTS MANY UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
By Motaz Othman

eTurbo News
Nov 30 2009

During the World Travel Market (WTM), eTurboNews (eTN) visited the
Armenia stand, where representatives from the Armenia Tourism Board,
hotels, resorts, and Armenian tour operators were exhibiting to
introduce Armenia to WTM exhibitors.

Motaz Othman, eTN's Middle East editor, had a few minutes talk with
Ms. Anna Khachaturova and asked her about Armenia's attractions and
what makes it a unique and interesting destination along with a large
number of interesting and important historical and early Christian
monuments, rich cultural heritage, fascinating landscapes, and diverse
flora and fauna.

Anna Khachaturova shared that first of all, it is Armenians living in
this ancient and beautiful country, therefore, all cultural tour
programs and holiday packages are featured and strengthened with the
human touch, enabling tourists to explore traditions, national
characteristics, culture, and, of course, the famous hospitality of
Armenians. All travel packages, together with discovering the most
interesting architectural, Christian, cultural, and historical
monuments, most of which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage
List, as well as fantastic landscapes of Armenia, also include visits
to the Armenian countryside, meetings with interesting local people,
participation in making famous Armenian hand-made carpets, Armenian
souvenirs, Armenian wine and brandy, and Armenian traditional bread,
"Lavash."

Walk and explore, trekking, hiking, and culture tours enable tourists
to appreciate the countryside and healthy lifestyle, see the most
important sightseeing places, and explore the country on foot rather
than by bus. These holidays are more focused on the discovery the
country's nature, Armenians, and the Armenian lifestyle. Trekking
tours enable visitors to experience the atmosphere of and gain a real
insight into a local area where one may enjoy the sights and sounds of
Armenia's glorious countryside. Tourists will see fascinating details
of areas inhabited by man for over many thousands of years; hear about
the history, farming, flora, and fauna; and learn entertaining
anecdotes of those famous areas. Walks include visits along the way
and a great chance to meet local people. Armenia tour operators are
promoting long-term partnership with the community-based providers of
tourist services thus supporting the development of local economies
and pioneering and promoting socially- and environmentally-responsible
tourism in Armenia.

Trekking/walking programs are about filled environments rich in
natural beauty, wildlife, history, and cultural realities of Armenia.

These tours present a fantastic and unprecedented mixture of
riding/trekking and adventure tourism in Armenia's most fascinating
mountainous wild environment and discovery of Armenia's rich cultural,
historical, and ethnic heritage.

Armenian cuisine is as ancient as the history of Armenia and a
wonderful combination of different tastes and aromas. Closely related
to eastern cuisine, various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits
combine to present a unique experience for any visitor to the country.

Fruits such as peaches, apples, pears, cherries, mulberry, figs,
pomegranates, strawberries, and water melons are particularly
succulent, but in particular, Armenia is famed for its apricots, which
many consider taste better than anywhere else in the world. As early
as the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great brought apricot trees from
Armenia to Greece, which eventually found their way to Rome.

Environmental protection is important among local communities and
people, so tourists will enjoy the care and preservation of local
fauna and flora.

A warm welcome to Armenia is extended to everyone who visits - the
single traveler, couples, families, and groups of various sizes.

Armenia is exciting, enjoyable, and forever memorable; a destination
where you can experience archaeology, architecture, Christianity,
history, culture, and most of all, the warm Armenian welcome.

Ms. Anna is the CEO of Nueva Vista, an incoming tour operator in
Armenia/Georgia. Its primary focus is to produce and execute
good-value, in-bound tours (cultural, religious, adventure, culinary,
etc.) and to provide DM services such as event management and
conferences to its worldwide-located partners and clients.

[Armanen]

Re: Armenian Nature

Yes, yes nature in armenia is beautiful but Yerevan has become a complete desert!! because of cutting down all trees and not planting any new one. People because of this get lung diseases a lot from the dirty air of Yerevan in addition to the smoke of old soviet cars, buses, and of course marshutnis..

Organizations like Armenian Tree Project are doing quite a lot to change this. Also, in recent years the Mayor's office of Yerevan has begun to pay attention to the pressing need for more parks and green areas in Yerevan.

[Mos]

Re: Armenian Nature

Yes, yes nature in armenia is beautiful but Yerevan has become a complete desert!! because of cutting down all trees and not planting any new one. People because of this get lung diseases a lot from the dirty air of Yerevan in addition to the smoke of old soviet cars, buses, and of course marshutnis..

[Catharsis]

Re: Armenian Nature

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Armenian leopards almost completely extinct in wild

Tsarukyan, the animal lover, best take heed. The planet has already lost too many species (I believe the statistical numbers for lost species on daily basis ranges from anywhere from 35 to 150 - staggering figures).

Illegally killed endangered Armenian mouflons and bezoar ibexes in the mountains of Syunik by poachers.

More here from Hetq article -

This is a photo taken from the website www.huntineurope.com showing a certain Mr. J. Jones and the huge Bezoar Ibex he shot while on a hunting trip to Armenia this spring. We want to remind you that these animals have been registered in the Armenian Red Book of Endangered Species.

The site urges hunters to travel to Armenia the year round to pursue their passion, especially during the months of March-November. It claims there are two locations in Armenia to hunt for Armenian Bezoar Ibex and Armenian mouflon – the Yeghegis Canyon and the slopes of Mt. Ourts.

The fee paid by hunters for these trophy animals is $6,800 for Armenian mouflon sheep and $5,600 for Bezoar Ibex.

Article here: http://hetq.am/en/ecology/muflon/

[Federate]

Re: Armenian Nature


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Armenian leopards almost completely extinct in wild


YEREVAN, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - Only five to seven leopards remain in the wild in Armenia, Novosti-Armenia news agency reported, citing the Armenian director of the World Wildlife Fund.

"These noble animals are under the threat of extinction," Karen Manvelyan said.

According to him, the main reason leading to the leopards' extinction is poaching.

"Illegal hunting of rare species registered in the Armenian Red Book, including Bezoar ibex, Armenian mouflon sheep, and leopard, has not ceased," Manvelyan said. He added that even the brown bear is hunted out of season.

Manvelyan believes poaching can be solved by creating nature conservation areas.

The conservationist said that Armenia had recently made a historical decision by creating two conservation areas in southern Armenia. Arevik National Park and Zangezur Sanctuary might solve the problem of rare species extinction, he said.

He said that more than 1,500 types of plants, including 24 registered in the Red Data Book of Armenia and 19 endemics, around 245 species of vertebrates, including 49 registered in the RDBA and 12 in the IUCN Red Data List are located in the Arevik National Park.

Zangezur Sanctuary has also become an important conservation park for rare and threatened flora and fauna.

http://en.rian.ru/Environment/20091116/156857319.html

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Armenian Nature

I was in Syria this summer and most of the northern Syria was covered with fig trees. It is interesting to see endless fig 'forests' instead of the desert I was waiting to see. They told me that Syria has became a top fig producer of the world. Nothing is impossible.

But probably most of those "fig forests" were real forests once. I remember seeing the devastation arould Kessab casued by a deliberately-started forest fire, set so that it would destroy the protected forest so that parts of it could be ploughed-up for agriculture, and most of the land could be freed up for housing developments.

[Federate]

Re: Armenian Nature

Going green: HSBC Armenia plants trees and encourages customers to bank electronically


A leading international bank in Armenia has pursued a major tree planting initiative in one residential community of Yerevan as part of its environmental pledge to encourage its customers to bank electronically.

Continuing the good tradition of tree planting initiated still back in 1996, HSBC Bank Armenia staff and their families on Sunday traveled to the Armenian capital’s Huisi Avan residential community where together with specialists from Armenia Tree Project and community members they planted 500 trees.

HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc has pledged to sponsor planting up to 1,000 trees in Yerevan to encourage its customers to opt to receive their statements electronically and for signing up to Personal Internet Banking services, thus helping to preserve the environment.

Tree planting is only one aspect of a comprehensive “Green Bank” campaign which the Bank has initiated; following the launch of Telephone Banking in March 2009 and Internet Banking in July 2009, the availability of electronic statements is aimed at reducing paper consumption and helping to preserve the environment, the bank explained.

“To further encourage our customers and community to use green channels and sign up for Telephone or Internet Banking services and switch to e-statements, today we go green with tree planting. It is also important to mention that all HSBC Armenia staff do their daily banking via direct channels, acting as role models for the community,” said Tim Slater, HSBC Bank Armenia Chief Executive Officer.

The bank said the area where the tree planting took place was also chosen with care as “Huisi Avan is a shelter for 76 underprivileged Armenian families, mainly refugees, with a minimum of three children. By planting decorative trees and donating much needed fruit trees, the Bank is helping to improve the lives of people in need.”

http://armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=4233&CID=3996&IID=1258&lng=eng

[Army]

Re: Armenian Nature

Armenia needs to preserve its forests badly, the land is turning to dessert where it has been stripped of vegatation.

I was in Syria this summer and most of the northern Syria was covered with fig trees. It is interesting to see endless fig 'forests' instead of the desert I was waiting to see. They told me that Syria has became a top fig producer of the world. Nothing is impossible.

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

Armenia needs to preserve its forests badly, the land is turning to dessert where it has been stripped of vegatation.

[Federate]

Re: Armenian Nature

National park and state reserve in Armenia



RA Government made a decision to establish a state reserve and national park.

RA Government made a decision to establish Arevik national park (34.402 hectare) and Zangezur state reserve (17.369 hectare) at the eastern slopes of Bargushat mountain range (Syunik Marz), Governmental Public Relations Department informed NEWS.am. The Government approved the legislation of the national park and reserve. It is expected that the environmental activities will improve, as well as regional social-economic problems will gradually be solved.

http://news.am/en/news/6616.html