INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR OF WWF ARMENIA – MR. KAREN MANVELYAN
Panorama.am
17:38 25/04/2007
-Mr. Manvelyan, most of our readers are not well informed about what
WWF abbreviation stands for. Could you please briefly present what
WWF is, when and how it was established and what are the main goals
of the organization ?
-Established in 1961, WWF-World Wildlife Fund is one the largest
environmental conservation organization with an extensive experience
in carrying out field projects related to sustainable nature resources
management and protection of biodiversity. WWF currently runs about
700 field projects in close to 100 countries and employs over 5,000
people worldwide. WWF headquarters are located in Glend, Switzerland.
WWF’s overall mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s
natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in
harmony with nature by: ~U Conserving the world’s biological diversity
~U Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
~U Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
-When did WWF start its activities in Armenia?
-The secretariat for WWF’s global conservation organization began its
activities in the Caucasus in 1992 and extended its conservation work
by establishing a local office in Yerevan, Armenia in 2001.
As of November 2006, WWF-Armenia has been registered as an official
branch of WWF and currently implements and coordinates more than 20
projects focused on environmental issues, and contributing to solution
of socio-economic problems in rural areas.
The vision of WWF-Armenia is to Keep Armenia Healthy and Beautiful
for now and for generations to come.
-Solving of regional ecological problems requires coordinated approach,
in this respect how does WWF manage to implement unified regional
environmental policy?
-WWF initiated and coordinated the development of an Ecoregional
Conservation Plan (ECP) for the Caucasus, a comprehensive strategy
for the region that was endorsed by the Environmental Ministers of
the South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) during
the Ministerial Conference (Berlin, 2006).
-At present, various parts of the World face different challenges in
the area of eco-systems preservation, what are the specific issues
that are urgent for Armenia and what are the conditions that caused
emergence of those problems.
-Armenia has a unique natural heritage, found in its rich biodiversity
and picturesque landscapes. Our country is our national treasure that
must be protected for present and coming generations. This is the
responsibility of all Armenians to keep Armenia healthy and beautiful.
The major threats to biodiversity in Armenia are tied to three broad
root causes – socio-economic, political and institutional. These
include mining, illegal logging, poaching and illegal wildlife trade,
overgrazing and over fishing, infrastructure development (pipelines,
road construction, etc.), and pollution of rivers and wetlands. These
threats lead to habitat degradation, decline of species populations,
and disruption of ecological processes – all contributing to an
overall loss of biodiversity.
WWF-Armenia strives to mitigate the impact of these threats in order
to conserve rich biodiversity of Armenia. It has been carrying out
projects such as promotion of sustainable resource use among local
communities, conservation of Caucasian Leopard, recovery of Bezoar
Goat in its natural range and others.
-You mentioned several problems that are related to various areas of
human life, which area is considered a priority for WWF Armenia?
-WWF Armenia carries out its work in several directions. One of
them is pure environmental protection, In this respect our Fund
carries works aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems, enhancing the
habitat of flora and fauna, conserving priority biomes (forests, high
mountains, wetlands), conserving threatened species (Caucasian Leopard,
Armenian Mouflon, Bezoar Goat, etc.); We carry out also institutional
development activities such as assisting the Government of Armenia to
establish new protected areas and develop a protected area network
(Econet) including reserves, national parks and others; Providing
support for institutional strengthening and capacity building via
consultancy and technical assistance to protected areas; Promoting
alternative livelihood through sustainable use of natural resources
and ecotourism development, thus contributing to income generation and
poverty reduction and mitigation of threats to biodiversity; Promoting
public awareness on environmental issues through environmental
education, mass media and communications among all Armenians.
Currently WWF-Armenia is also coordinating CEPF/WWF Grants Program
designed to ensure that civil society is engaged in efforts to conserve
biodiversity in the hotspots of the Caucasus region.
-What organizations and Government Bodies are WWF’s primary partners
here in Armenia, Could you call those partnerships efficient ?
-WWF-Armenia actively and efficiently collaborates with national
authorities (Ministry of Nature Protection and Ministry of
Agriculture), local administrations and communities, NGOs,
scientific institutions, the international donor community, and other
partners. Working from the grassroots to the governmental level
assures that collaborative projects will yield the best solutions
for nature conservation.
– How do you see a role of business in environment preservation ?
WWF believes that business, trade, and industry have a crucial role
to play in supporting conservation efforts and promoting greater
environmental responsibility for our planet. WWF strives to build
environmental awareness by working with businesses to help improve
their environmental performance, as well as boost their economic
bottom line. Governed by the principle Good for the Earth, Good for
Business, WWF-Armenia is committed to partnering with companies who
are willing to become a WWF Conservation Partner.