15/07/2005 – WWF, together
with other local and international organizations,
is celebrating the decision by Armenian President
Robert Kocharian to reverse a decision to
build a highway through one of the country's
protected areas.
After a prolonged battle against the project,
the government has scrapped plans to build
17km of a 90km transnational highway from
Armenia to Iran through the Shikahogh nature
reserve.
“We are thankful to WWF and many others in
the country for their active involvement in
the process of saving Shikahogh Reserve and
for finding the alternative version of the
highway,” said Aram Aghasyan, Head of the
Protected Territories Department of Armenia's
Ministry of Nature Protection.
The Shikahogh reserve boasts over 1,000 types
of plants, many of them endemic, as well as
Armenian mufflon (wild sheep) and the endangered
Caucasian leopard.
According to environmental experts, the proposed
route through Shikahogh threatened to destroy
at least 30ha of the reserve’s area and would
inevitably lead to deforestation of the unique
virgin oak forests and extermination of many
species.
“Shikahogh is the only place where the forests
remain intact in our country and is considered
to be a treasure not only for Armenia but
the rest of the world as well,” said Dr Karen
Manvelyan, Director of WWF's Armenian office.
"The highway would split Shikahogh into
two parts and not only distrurb the course
of life in the reserve but would also be easily
accessible for poachers and loggers."
The victory is even more satisfying as machinery
to begin highway construction had already
been brought to a village near the reserve.
Construction of the highway from the other
side of the Meghri mountain ridge was already
in progress without any public discussions.
"We hope the success of this campaign
will be used as a model for other campaigns
in the future," added Dr Manvelyan.
"It can also be used as a model for
countries that are in a transitional period
with newly established processes of democratization,
and that are usually accompanied by the uncontrolled
plunder of natural resources."
