Climate mitigation program addresses forest restoration in the South Caucasus…

The Caucasus branch of the World Wildlife Fund organized a media tour to the afforestation sites in Northern Armenia established by Armenia Tree Project and the forestry department of the Ministry of Agriculture. In December, ATP announced its partnership with WWF and Germany's KfW Development Bank on a large-scale afforestation program in the Lori region.

The work was part of the WWF-KfW program, Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change through Forest Protection, Management and Restoration in the Southern Caucasus. It was financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through KfW as part of Germany's Climate Initiative.

“Climate change is happening globally and Armenia is not an exception. Weather extremes have serous implications for forests. We are proud to collaborate with KfW and WWF to create a better future for the environment and people,” stated ATP Yerevan Director Mher Sadoyan. “We hope we can fight the adverse impacts of climate change in those territories of Armenia which are most affected, and reforestation is one way to achieve this goal.”

This environmental program created hundreds of jobs for rural residents who often migrate to earn a living abroad. As part of the goal to address the socio-economic status of the communities in the project area, ATP provided seasonal tree planting jobs for more than 300 people from the region. The television coverage posted above was made available by Ankyun Plus 3 TV after the media tour.