Yerevan City Hall official: The area of green spaces in the capital  corresponds to the level of the Soviet era

ArmInfo.  Today, the total area of green spaces for public use in Yerevan has reached 910 hectares, corresponding to the level of the Soviet era green fund,  which at its peak was 908 hectares, as stated by Armen Begoyan,  director of the Yerevan City Hall's "Greening and Environmental  Protection" organization,  during a press conference in Yerevan. He  assured that overall, greening efforts in 2025 exceeded the results  of 2024: 13.5 hectares of new green space were created in Yerevan  this year, with a total of 4,500 trees  planted. "Moreover, out of  every 100 trees planted, 95 have survived and are fulfilling their  function," the official noted.

Begoyan then spoke about initiatives that, he claimed, contributed to  the expansion of Yerevan's green space. Specifically, an initiative  to plant winter evergreens was implemented in 2025. "We began this  process in February by planting 200 evergreen pines and spruces, and  on December 13, approximately 1,000 more of these trees were planted.  Thus, in 2025,  the total number of planted evergreen trees reached  1,200. This measure is aimed at improving air quality during the  winter months, when the capital faces pollution problems," Begoyan  clarified.

Furthermore, according to the official, a pilot program for greening  near cemeteries and along busy roads has been launched. Specifically,  approximately 1.5 kilometers of green plantings were planted at the  Silikyan and parts of the Davtashen cemeteries, which, as Begoyan  assured, will also improve the aesthetic appearance of the area. "In  February, work also began on creating a new urban forest, that will  stretch from Ashtarak to Yerevan. This forest is important for  combating air pollution caused by construction in the capital's  outskirts. An urban forest covering approximately 6 hectares was  planted along David Bek Street and the Church of St. Sargis, and  winter evergreens were planted. Another major project was implemented  in Davtashen, where a city park covering approximately 5 hectares was  created," the official said.

Throughout the year, Begoyan added, old trees that posed a health  risk to residents were also replaced. He added that "rotten" trees on  Tumanyan Street, as well as Abovyan and Melik Adamyan Streets, were  completely replaced. All these measures, as noted by Begoyan, are  aimed at improving air quality, especially during the winter.  According to the official, air quality during the summer months,  according to their observations, remains at normal levels. 

It's worth noting that despite the city hall official's assurances of  unprecedented greening of the city, environmentalists have a  different opinion. For the third year running, Armenian  environmentalists have been sounding the alarm that the city hall is  committing ecocide in the city for the sake of its own enrichment  through money laundering. Environmental experts are inclined to  believe that the high levels of air pollution in the country today  are due to the failure to comply with environmental standards during  large-scale construction in the capital and the city hall's cutting  down of large, healthy trees and replacing them with ornamental ones  that are incapable to absorb such a large amount of emissions.