ARMENIAN FORESTRY'S FAULT IS WEAK PROTECTION - INTERVIEW (PHOTOS)
NEWS.am
April 02, 2012 | 23:08
Very often the free residues allocated by the government are being
given to citizens for money or are handed out as electoral bribery.
Concerning these issues the correspondent of Armenian News-NEWS.am
talked with the head of ArmForest Martun Matevosyan.
Mr. Matevosyan, in what condition are Armenia's forests today? Is
the number of illegal deforestation decreasing?
According to statistics, deforestation has decreased in 2011 but
due to the growth of gas prices illegal deforestation has increased
recently. I think the government's decision to allocate free wood
residues to the citizens will help decrease deforestation rates.
There has been information that foresters sell timber to people. Is
that true?
That's a crime, but we don't know anything about it. ArmForest does
not take money for timber and the foresters are not allowed to take
it either.
The Minister of Agriculture mentioned that the most deforestation
is taking place in Lori region. Why does that happen? Maybe forestry
does not work as it should?
>From the 1990s, deforestation has had high rates in Lori region as it
has many forests. But since 2000, large scaled reforestation works have
been done. Of course, the fault of the forestry is weak protection.
P.S. According to certain information Armenian News-NEWS.am has got,
not knowing their rights, Lori inhabitants paid for timber. Armenian
Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan had announced during his
visit to Lori region that some people even handed out timber as
electoral bribery. He has promised to find and punish those people.
NEWS.am
April 02, 2012 | 23:08
Very often the free residues allocated by the government are being
given to citizens for money or are handed out as electoral bribery.
Concerning these issues the correspondent of Armenian News-NEWS.am
talked with the head of ArmForest Martun Matevosyan.
Mr. Matevosyan, in what condition are Armenia's forests today? Is
the number of illegal deforestation decreasing?
According to statistics, deforestation has decreased in 2011 but
due to the growth of gas prices illegal deforestation has increased
recently. I think the government's decision to allocate free wood
residues to the citizens will help decrease deforestation rates.
There has been information that foresters sell timber to people. Is
that true?
That's a crime, but we don't know anything about it. ArmForest does
not take money for timber and the foresters are not allowed to take
it either.
The Minister of Agriculture mentioned that the most deforestation
is taking place in Lori region. Why does that happen? Maybe forestry
does not work as it should?
>From the 1990s, deforestation has had high rates in Lori region as it
has many forests. But since 2000, large scaled reforestation works have
been done. Of course, the fault of the forestry is weak protection.
P.S. According to certain information Armenian News-NEWS.am has got,
not knowing their rights, Lori inhabitants paid for timber. Armenian
Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan had announced during his
visit to Lori region that some people even handed out timber as
electoral bribery. He has promised to find and punish those people.