Armenian Nature

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

OLIVE TREE WAS BROUGHT INTO PALESTINE FROM ARMENIA 4000 BC AND SPREAD TO MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AFRICA

Filed under: Culture, Geography, History -
October 14, 2013

http://peopleofar.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/olive-tree-was-brought-into-palestine-from-armenia-4000-bc-and-spread-to-mediterranean-and-north-africa/

According to Tunisian olive museum (Zaitounah Museum) the olive
tree came to Palestine from Armenia after which it spread to the
Mediterranean and North Africa. It is explained in the following news
article from 2004.

Zaitounah Museum new addition to Tunisian heritage

The Zaitounah (olive) Museum which was opened recently in the eastern
city of Sousse is considered a new addition to the Tunisian cultural
heritage due to the pivotal role the olive tree plays in the lives
of Tunisians and the population of the Medieterranean region. [...]
Gadira said that it also aims at preserving the heritage of this
"blessed" tree for future generations, noting that this tree remained
steadfast before the various civilizations which ruled Tunisia over
some 3000 years like the Berbers, Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs,
Spaniards and Turks. He said that the most ancient documented sources
available report that the olive tree was brought into Palestine from
Armenia 4000 BC and then taken by the Phoenicians to Greece and later
to North Africa, particularly Tunisia. Since the ancient times,
olive oil was the choice of the elite and notables in Tunisia and
other countries of the region. It was used in religious rituals,
as a massage oil, producing perfumes and for other medical purposes.

According to the latest figures, there are an estimated 55 million
olive trees stretching from the country's north to south and covering
an area of nearly 1.6 million hectares or 30 percent of Tunisia's
farmlands. Tunisia is the world's second largest producer and
exporter of olive oil after EU states, mainly Italy and Spain. Article
originally published by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) 12-Jul-04

Source:

http://arevordi.blogspot.nl/2005/12/olive-tree-was-brought-into-palestine.html

Original source: http://www.kuna.net.kw/English/Story.asp?DSNO=648372
(note: the url doesn't work anymore, but I managed to access it with
the wayback machine, feel free to try it here if you are unfamiliar
with it. Bellow a screenshot of the page for the record).

[UrMistake]

Re: Armenian Nature

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YrrDzuZ9RG4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYrrDzuZ9RG4

raise the awareness please

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

A leopard family in the south of Armenia gives birth to two cubs

by Karina Manukyan
Thursday, July 31, 15:30


A leopard family in the Arevik National Park in the south of Armenia
has given birth to two cubs, Head of WWF Armenia Karen Manvelyan told
journalists on Thursday.

"Due to WWF trail cameras, we have trailed three leopards (one male
and two females) in the park. A few days ago the leopardesses were
supposed to give birth to cubs but we have failed to see that as some
people have stolen four WWF trail cameras. We don't think they were
poachers. The cameras were located 30 km from one another, so, they
must have been stolen by people who knew where exactly they were
located. They surely had evil intent in mind," Manvelyan said, noting
that the police have already been informed of the incident.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=245426D0-18A6-11E4-A2D60EB7C0D21663

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

IDEA AND WWF ARMENIA TO ESTABLISH "TATEV" NATIONAL PARK

February 6, 2015 13:11

Tatev Monastery

Photo: IDeA

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Today Initiatives for Development of Armenia
(IDeA) Foundation and World Wildlife Fund in Armenia (WWF Armenia)
signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperating in the sectors
of nature conservation and development of ecotourism.

IDeA Foundation and WWF Armenia will carry out joint works to enhance
the management of "Devil's Bridge" natural monument and will initiate
works aimed at the establishment of the specially protected new
natural area - "Tatev" National Park.

Armen Gevorgyan and Karen Manvelyan Photo: IDeA

The abovementioned initiatives aim to preserve the area's special
ecosystem and biodiversity and to promote ecotourism.

"Our cooperation is aimed at environmental protection and tourism
development in Tatev region. One of the main goals of "Tatev
Revival" project carried out by IDeA Foundation is to make the region
attractive in terms of tourism, which in its turn, will promote the
social-economic development of the adjacent communities. We have
all necessary prerequisites for it - medieval monastic complex,
aerial tramway, rich nature and unique ecosystem the conservation
of which is also important in terms of ecotourism development. I am
convinced our joint efforts will help us realize all projects aimed
at the development of this region", said Head of IDeA Foundation
Armen Gevorgyan.

"We attach great importance to our cooperation with IDeA Foundation
as the unique ecosystem and biodiversity of Tatev will be preserved,
and adjacent communities will have broader opportunities to improve
their livelihood", said WWF Armenia Director Karen Manvelyan.

http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/society/13107/#sthash.FnSTktIv.dpuf

[Federate]

Re: Armenian Nature

Armenia offers refuge for Europe’s last leopards
Caucasus conservation project aims to help rare wildlife and local people

Mon, May 25, 2015, 01:00

High on an Armenian hillside, Gor Hovhannisyan eases a camouflage-green box from its hiding place in the trees and opens the back to see what he has caught.
This time, only a bird and a rabbit triggered the camera trap’s motion sensors. But far bigger beasts also roam the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge: lynx, bears, wolves and at least one of Europe’s last remaining leopards.
Across a deep gorge speckled with thyme and wildflowers, Hovhannisyan points to the snowy ridge where a Caucasian leopard was last captured here on camera; behind him, far below, a lush plain of farmland and fruit trees stretches away to Mount Ararat, an ice-clad 5,000m volcano just over the border in Turkey.
The refuge is breaking new ground in Armenia and the region, by leasing a large area of outstanding beauty and biodiversity and ensuring that local people contribute to and benefit from its protection.
The challenge is considerable in a country where environmental awareness is low, large predators are seen as a threat to life and livestock, and the rule of law is too weak to control either small-scale trappers or wealthy hunters.
Geopolitics doesn’t help, either. Barely 25km south of the refuge is Azerbaijan, which officially is still at war with Armenia after an early-1990s conflict. Some 10km further lies Iran. The leopard’s territory spans all three countries, further complicating conservation efforts.
Hovhannisyan is one of several local men who work as wardens in the refuge, patrolling its 4,000 hectares in a battered green 4x4 and on horseback.
Hunting ban
“All hunting is banned in the refuge,” he shouts, as the groaning 4x4 bounces beneath a troop of iridescent bee-eaters preening on a telephone line.
“We make sure no one’s in the refuge without permission, and we talk to the villagers. We tell them that if they hunt bezoar goats or boar or even rabbits, then there will be less food for the wolf and bear and lynx. And then they are more likely to come to our yards and fields and take a sheep or cow.”
People’s lives are intertwined with nature here, to a degree that is not always comfortable. In winter, hungry wolves sometimes come down from the mountains to snatch a sheep, chicken or dog from a yard; in spring and summer the shepherds take their flocks to the high meadows, into the domain of the big carnivores; and autumn is the bears’ favourite time to raid the valley’s orchards – though they also amble down in warmer months to feast on fruit.
“Last year a bear family ate lots of apples and damaged the trees, and they like to come for apricots,” says Ashot Manatsakanyan, who lives in Urtsadzor, a village on the edge of the refuge.
“And I’ve seen a bear sitting and eating watermelons like a man – splitting them open in his lap, eating the best bits, throwing away the rest and grabbing another,” he recalls.
“Sometimes a wolf comes into the village, but it’s the shepherds in the hills who have the most problems. Even with six or seven guard dogs, a pack of wolves can take a sheep or even a horse. They complain that the wolf is taking money from their pockets, but I’m glad the wolves are here – and they need to eat too.”
The refuge aims to boost and diversify the local economy through eco-tourism, and it helps villagers access clean and cost-saving technology such as solar panels, and runs classes for adults and children on nature and sustainability.
Conservation model
“We want this type of conservation model to be spread more widely through the Caucasus,” says Ruben Khachatryan, the founder of the refuge and director of Yerevan’s zoo.
Though it is barely an hour’s drive from Yerevan, there are few visitors to the refuge, which is supported by the UK-based World Land Trust.
Most that do make the trip dream of glimpsing a Caucasus – also know as Persian – leopard, but the chance is minuscule: only a handful survive in Armenia, and the entire population may be less than 1,000.
“In Armenia, people and leopards have co-existed since the early prehistoric times. Depictions of leopards can be found in many ancient petroglyphs . . . recounting origin myths and tribal traditions of ancient Armenia,” says Khachatryan.
“The inhabitants of Caucasus region should be proud of not killing the last of the species, and to have this amazing feline thrive in their territory.”
No one in Armenia has a better hope of seeing a leopard than refuge warden Hovhannisyan.
“Sometimes, when I’m alone on my horse in the hills, I wonder if it might attack me,” he says. “But I’d still love to see a leopard up close. It’s great to know that it’s out there.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/armenia-offers-refuge-for-europe-s-last-leopards-1.2224264

[Artashes]

Re: Armenian Nature

Armenia offers refuge for Europe’s last leopards
Caucasus conservation project aims to help rare wildlife and local people

Mon, May 25, 2015, 01:00

High on an Armenian hillside, Gor Hovhannisyan eases a camouflage-green box from its hiding place in the trees and opens the back to see what he has caught.
This time, only a bird and a rabbit triggered the camera trap’s motion sensors. But far bigger beasts also roam the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge: lynx, bears, wolves and at least one of Europe’s last remaining leopards.
Across a deep gorge speckled with thyme and wildflowers, Hovhannisyan points to the snowy ridge where a Caucasian leopard was last captured here on camera; behind him, far below, a lush plain of farmland and fruit trees stretches away to Mount Ararat, an ice-clad 5,000m volcano just over the border in Turkey.
The refuge is breaking new ground in Armenia and the region, by leasing a large area of outstanding beauty and biodiversity and ensuring that local people contribute to and benefit from its protection.
The challenge is considerable in a country where environmental awareness is low, large predators are seen as a threat to life and livestock, and the rule of law is too weak to control either small-scale trappers or wealthy hunters.
Geopolitics doesn’t help, either. Barely 25km south of the refuge is Azerbaijan, which officially is still at war with Armenia after an early-1990s conflict. Some 10km further lies Iran. The leopard’s territory spans all three countries, further complicating conservation efforts.
Hovhannisyan is one of several local men who work as wardens in the refuge, patrolling its 4,000 hectares in a battered green 4x4 and on horseback.
Hunting ban
“All hunting is banned in the refuge,” he shouts, as the groaning 4x4 bounces beneath a troop of iridescent bee-eaters preening on a telephone line.
“We make sure no one’s in the refuge without permission, and we talk to the villagers. We tell them that if they hunt bezoar goats or boar or even rabbits, then there will be less food for the wolf and bear and lynx. And then they are more likely to come to our yards and fields and take a sheep or cow.”
People’s lives are intertwined with nature here, to a degree that is not always comfortable. In winter, hungry wolves sometimes come down from the mountains to snatch a sheep, chicken or dog from a yard; in spring and summer the shepherds take their flocks to the high meadows, into the domain of the big carnivores; and autumn is the bears’ favourite time to raid the valley’s orchards – though they also amble down in warmer months to feast on fruit.
“Last year a bear family ate lots of apples and damaged the trees, and they like to come for apricots,” says Ashot Manatsakanyan, who lives in Urtsadzor, a village on the edge of the refuge.
“And I’ve seen a bear sitting and eating watermelons like a man – splitting them open in his lap, eating the best bits, throwing away the rest and grabbing another,” he recalls.
“Sometimes a wolf comes into the village, but it’s the shepherds in the hills who have the most problems. Even with six or seven guard dogs, a pack of wolves can take a sheep or even a horse. They complain that the wolf is taking money from their pockets, but I’m glad the wolves are here – and they need to eat too.”
The refuge aims to boost and diversify the local economy through eco-tourism, and it helps villagers access clean and cost-saving technology such as solar panels, and runs classes for adults and children on nature and sustainability.
Conservation model
“We want this type of conservation model to be spread more widely through the Caucasus,” says Ruben Khachatryan, the founder of the refuge and director of Yerevan’s zoo.
Though it is barely an hour’s drive from Yerevan, there are few visitors to the refuge, which is supported by the UK-based World Land Trust.
Most that do make the trip dream of glimpsing a Caucasus – also know as Persian – leopard, but the chance is minuscule: only a handful survive in Armenia, and the entire population may be less than 1,000.
“In Armenia, people and leopards have co-existed since the early prehistoric times. Depictions of leopards can be found in many ancient petroglyphs . . . recounting origin myths and tribal traditions of ancient Armenia,” says Khachatryan.
“The inhabitants of Caucasus region should be proud of not killing the last of the species, and to have this amazing feline thrive in their territory.”
No one in Armenia has a better hope of seeing a leopard than refuge warden Hovhannisyan.
“Sometimes, when I’m alone on my horse in the hills, I wonder if it might attack me,” he says. “But I’d still love to see a leopard up close. It’s great to know that it’s out there.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world...ards-1.2224264

---- and runs classes for adults and children on nature (and) sustainability ----
That is really good to hear. Along with opening up avenues for the local "people" populations advancement , is this education and enlightenment . Education can lead to understanding the needs of the other lives we live with.

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

They need to advertise ecotourism especially if it is only an hour from the city.

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

Gosh Lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMy9hsgPDTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0fWcWwiyRg

[Haykakan]

Re: Armenian Nature

ABOUT 120 HIMALAYAN CEDARS PLANTED IN KOGHB VILLAGE

13:55 November 25, 2015

EcoLur

About 120 Himalayan cedars were planted in Koghb Village, Tavush
region. The trees were planted in the areas surrounding Koghb art
school and secondary school in which the members of "Cedar" Facebook
group, schoolchildren, teachers, learners at the art school and the
employees of "Zikatar environmental center" SNCO participated. Khachik
Abovyan, RA Deputy Minister of Nature Protection also took part in
the tree planting.

http://ecolur.org/en/news/officials/about-120-himalayan-cedars-planted-in-koghb-village/7836/

[Joseph]

Re: Armenian Nature

Which scumbag oligarch owned, abused, than abandoned these poor animals for his own warped amusement???- God bless the old couple tending to these animals the best they can

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406564/Inside-world-s-worst-zoo-Starving-bears-lions-forced-live-slaughterhouse-scraps-abandoned-Armenian-oligarch-no-wonder-no-one-s-visit-two-years.html