PLANT A HOPE FOR FUTURE!

Vardahovit is a community in the Vayots Dzor region, Armenia. It is 2050 meters above sea level, where all clean water springs and rivers arise.

Several years from now the community was under the danger of gold mining by a Canadian organization. Due to our collaboration and work the community rejected the mining proposal and adopted the ecological path․ Community council decided to give 1000 hectares of land to FPWC for perpetuity for wildlife conservation purposes. Later we rented about 4,000 hectares of land for the same purpose.

This area is known for its historical and cultural sites. Here is situated Old Getik monastery (9-12 centuries) and many others.

Vardahovit community lands are one of the main habitats for bears. One can find here lynxes, leopards, wildcat, mouflons, wild goats, wolfs, etc. The area is rich in herbs (up to 100 species), which are not yet well observed.

Gnishik is a community cluster in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia, which includes the Mozrov community. Natural habitats vary from semi-desert to mountain steppe and meadows. Vicinity of the Gnishik community has been considered as a Prime Butterfly Area, where a wide variety of rare butterflies can be observed.

The reforestation area is located at the altitude of 1000 to 2000 m above sea level. The average steepness of slopes is from 10˚ to 25˚. The area has a relatively dry climate with short rainy seasons.

In this area, we plant wild almonds, wild pears. In riparian zones of the area, we plant wild olives as well.

The communities are bordering with Nakhichevan, and serve as an important migration corridor for the wildlife.

P. Sevak is a community cluster in the Ararat region, with P.Sevak and Tigranashen communities. It lies on the steep slopes of Urts Ridge on 1170 m above sea level. The climate is dry continental, winter is moderately cold, summer is hot and dry. The natural landscapes vary from semi-deserts to dry steppes.

Here is located Hells Canyon, which used to be a popular area for hikers, tourists, and hunters, and was damaged a lot by the negative human impact. Currently, the area is protected, and reforestation is among actions towards restoring the degraded lands.

It’s an important migration corridor that connects Nakhichevan with Khosrov State Reserve, being home for Persian Leopard, Bezoar Goats, Mouflons, Lynxes, Syrian Bears, etc.

Here we will plant wild almonds, wild pears, wild apples, which are being used by many birds, such as warblers, finches, buntings, shrikes for nesting.

This is a communal land of three communities joined in one cluster: Urtsadzor, Shaghap, Lanjanist.

The communal land is situated by the neighborhood of Khosrov State Reserve and preserves all the unique, endemic and important biodiversity features Khosrov has and serves as buffer zones for wild animals’ migration from and to the reserve.

The reforestation area is located at the altitude of 1200 to 1700 m above sea level. The area is characterized by dry climate with short rainy seasons.

Reforestation in this area is a part of long-term activities oriented on the restoration of degraded lands damaged by wildfire in 2017.