AS AN ECONOMY BLOSSOMS AN ANCIENT CAPITAL SUFFOCATES
by Mariam Harutunian

Agence France Presse — English
March 1, 2007 Thursday 5:04 AM GMT

Waking one cold winter morning, Yerevan resident Susanna Pogosian
drew back the curtains and got a shock: workmen had razed the trees
opposite her home, literally overnight.

"Trees that had stood there for decades were lying on the ground. We
were all in shock. It happened right in front of the eyes of the
police, who didn’t lift a finger," said Pogosian, recalling the day
last month when the trees in the nearby playground were cut down.

Residents of this ex-Soviet republic are finding that after the dire
economic straits they experienced in the 1990s, the runaway growth
they now enjoy also has a downside: destruction of greenery and
creeping desertification.

The Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse brought this country a war with
neighbouring Azerbaijan and the shut-down of factories, but also the
destruction of thousands of trees as energy supplies failed and people
scoured the hills for fuel.

The war has since been replaced by an uneasy ceasefire and despite
closed borders with both Azerbaijan and Turkey, the economy is on
the rise, thanks partly to investment by emigres from Russia and the
United States.

Economic growth in Armenia has averaged 10 percent annually for the
last 10 years, according to the World Bank, and last year’s growth
rate was 13.4 percent, according to official statistics.

But this upswing has not been matched by improved governance in the
Armenian capital, where poor oversight means that the land is drying
up in and around this city of some 1.2 million people.

Yerevan, famous for the pink colouring of city centre buildings, dates
from before the eighth century BC and, like many Soviet urban centres,
has since seen a sprawl of high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts.

Residents take pride in the lush city centre parks and in Yerevan’s
unique position, within sight of nearby Mount Ararat, a revered
national symbol that actually lies in Turkey.

But now they find desert animals such as snakes and scorpions
increasingly turning up in their apartment blocks located in the
valley in which Yerevan was built.

Pogosian says she and others fought a legal battle to prevent the
development near her house, but to no avail and the foundations are
now being dug.

"A well-known businessman caught sight of the land, and wants to build
a hotel complex… Eventually, as he had a permit from the ministry
for nature protection, they decided to carry out their barbaric plans
at night," she said.

Ecologist Karine Danielian, of Yerevan’s State University, says the
city has lost 12 percent of its green space in recent years.

"Big businesses have built on any large or small space between
buildings," said Danielian.

"The capital is reverting to semi-desert with all the climatic
characteristics, flora and fauna that implies…. The tall buildings
appearing in the centre reduce air circulation. The city is being
suffocated," she said.

The head of the city’s environmental protection department, Avet
Martirosian, says he is concerned by the loss of green space and
developers are now required to plant additional trees and grass when
they build.

City authorities also plan an ambitious "re-greening" programme.

This will include planting 50,000 trees and 30,000 shrubs, with
special attention paid to restoring vines and creepers that once
covered many buildings, shielding them from noise, dust and the sun,
says Martirosian.

He says 150,000 dollars (114,000 euros) has been allocated to growing
saplings at a nearby nursery, including varieties that can cope
with pollution.

Under the plans, the amount of green territory in the city will
increase by 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) by 2020, he says.

This does not satisfy ecologists or sceptical local residents in a
country where corruption and poor governance are serious problems
however.

Danielian says that the new saplings will be no replacement for the
mature trees that are being lost. "Why should we repeat the mistakes
other cities have made?" she queried.

Local resident Aik Bersegian, a 60-year-old mechanic, is also
distrustful: "These plans only exist on paper. The authorities
adopted a law on protecting the environment but themselves don’t
respect it. It’s happening in front of our eyes."