ArmInfo.A memorandum on the protection and reproduction of wild animals will be signed between Armenia and the UAE next Wednesday, Acting Minister of Nature  Protection Erik Grigoryan informed today at the meeting of the RA  Government, answering the question of the Acting Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan on measures to restore the Caucasian leopard population.

According to Grigorian, representatives of the environmental  departments of the two states have already done some work in this  direction.

Representatives of the UAE have gained considerable experience in the  protection and reproduction of wild animals, and their knowledge and  experience can be useful for Armenia. The Acting Minister stressed  that the presence of a Caucasian leopard population in the Khosrov  Reserve testifies to fairly well-formed ecosystem. It is especially  important, Grigoryan continued, to restore the Caucasian leopard  population, since it is the last major representative of the cat  family in the region.  In turn, Nikol Pashinyan called for more  control over the habitat of the animal. He drew the attention of the  head of the RA Police Valery Osipyan to the need to intensify the  fight against poaching.

To recall, the Armenian government announced the 2019 as the Year of  the Caucasian Leopard. "It is planned to hold a series of events – to  issue a postage stamp on the theme of the Caucasian leopard, to  organize an international conference, to make a documentary film on  biodiversity, to organize an exhibition," the acting minister said at  the end of December at a cabinet meeting. Last year, for the first  time, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) filmed on the territory of  the Khosrov Forest Reserve a rare Caucasian (Asian) Leopard, which is  included in the Red Book of Armenia and the Red List of the  International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.  This species is under threat of destruction.  Currently, 7-9 leopards  are recorded in the Ararat, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of  Armenia. Since 2002, the Ministry of Nature Protection of the  Republic of Armenia has been implementing a program for the  protection of this species, its task is to preserve the range, to  increase the population of animals, including by preserving the  species that the leopard hunts – bezoar goats and Armenian moufflon.