ArmInfo. Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia Artsvik Minasyan urged not to look for a black cat in a dark room, especially if it is not there. "The devotion to the cause and the organization shown by everyone in the fire fighting in the forests of Vayots Dzor region and the state reserve "Khosrov Forest" deserve all praise," Artsvik Minasyan told reporters on August 24 during a briefing.
As the minister said, answering the question of ArmInfo, in the near future the management plan of the Khosrov Forest Reserve will be discussed, which provides for the expansion of the protected nature reserve boundaries. This will ensure more significant protection of the territories, as well as provide residents of nearby territories with an opportunity to receive income from ecotourism in the territory created around the reserve with a less favorable regime in comparison with the SNCO. As the minister assured, in spite of the rumors being rumored, there is no question on the government's agenda to review both the current, especially protected, status of the state reserve, and its current physical borders. "In any case, any other activity in the reserve is excluded than that envisaged by the current regime," said the head of the Ministry of Nature Protection.
Regarding the restoration of damage, as well as the implementation of active firefighting measures, according to Artsvik Minasyan, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia will sign a grant agreement with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for $ 1 million until September 1. "A major component of the agreement Concerns the purchase of fire fighting equipment," Minasyan said. The Khosrov Reserve is a nature conservation zone in Armenia in the Ararat region in the southern part of the Geghama mountain range. It was founded in 1958. Occupies an area of 29 000 hectares in the basins of the Azat and Khosrov rivers at altitudes of 1 400-2 250 m above sea level. The Khosrov Forest is located in the Ararat region of Armenia, 61 km southeast of Yerevan. Most of the reserve covers the zone of highland xerophytes - drought-resistant plants that can withstand high temperatures. The area is distinguished by a special variety and richness of flora and fauna. In the Khosrov Reserve there are 1686 plant species, 146 of which are listed in the Red Books. Among them are a wild pear, apple, plum, cherry, mountain ash, hawthorn, almonds, Vavilov rye. Also here are protected forests of juniper and oak, mountain xerophytes, mountain-steppe and wormwood semi-desert formations. In the Khosrov Reserve there are rare species of arachnids, crustaceans, insects, among which a large variety of butterflies listed in the Red Book. And also 5 species of amphibians and fish, 33 species of reptiles, 142 species of birds, 55 species of mammals, in particular, Transcaucasian brown bear, wild boar, broad-eared hedgehog, Armenian moufflon, bezoar goat, lynx, wolf, fox, leopard, and others.
According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Nature Protection and the Ministry of Emergencies, 250 hectares were damaged from the total area of the Khosrov Forest Reserve in 1600 hectares. "The size of the harm will be clarified after comparing the data from several sources. We assure that we will not hide anything, there is no such problem," Artsvik Minasyan stated. Meanwhile, independent experts say that in reality about 2.5 thousand hectares of forest were burnt.
ArmInfo.The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia was not late with a request for assistance in the work on extinguishing a fire in the Khosrov forest of EMERCOM of Russia and acted adequately the situation. This was stated by the head of the department David Tonoyan on August 24 during a briefing, answering the question why Russian colleagues were involved in fire fighting only on the third day of the fire.
ArmInfo.Ministry of Armenia suburbs banned hunting in the vicinity of the reserve "Khosrov Forest".
ArmInfo.Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan allows the replacement of two ministers - the heads of Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of Nature Protection, but only after a detailed analysis of how the departments fought the unprecedented fires that broke out in the country. Karen Karapetyan said on August 21 in Tsakhkadzor, commenting on media publications about the possible resignation of these ministers.
ArmInfo.The Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia stated that the state non-profit organization opened accounts in the bank to collect funds for the restoration of the Khosrov Forest, which suffered during the fires.