March 25, 2024 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

Ruben Krikyan, Jinishian Memorial Foundation representative; Luisa Vardanyan, General Director at Armenian Energy Agency; Tatevik Davtyan, Operational Manager of Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to Armenia; Rousanne Arustamyan, ATP Yerevan Office Coordinator; Rima Abrahamyan, EU4Environment: Green Community-Resilient Future Project Coordinator; and Frank Hess, Head of Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to Armenia

On February 29, ATP hosted a momentous event marking the triumphant conclusion of the three-year EU-funded “EU4 Environment: Green Community, Resilient Future” grant project. The celebration brought together funders, partners and beneficiaries to reflect on the project’s impactful journey.

The initiative aimed at addressing Armenia’s pressing environmental challenges, including deforestation, desertification, air pollution, soil erosion and over-exploitation of water resources. Through strategic education and targeted environmental improvements in Armenia’s small cities and towns, the project successfully fostered sustainable practices.

ATP Director Rousanne Arustamyan emphasized, “The past three years have presented challenges, but we remained steadfast in our commitment to our goal. As ATP marks its 30th anniversary in 2024, we are determined to continue our positive impact on the environment through afforestation, greening and environmental education programs.”

Despite obstacles, ATP is proud to showcase the project’s achievements. In the afforestation category, a significant 100 hectares of forest were planted in Mets Sariar Community (Shirak Region) and Urasar Community (Lori Region), comprising over 390,000 trees and generating 290 seasonal jobs for the local community.

Under the green infrastructure umbrella, ATP established a cutting-edge nursery in Gyumri named Gyumri Selection Station that produces over 120,000 seedlings annually across 15 tree species. This initiative secures the future of reforestation in the sparsely forested Shirak Region.

In the green jobs sector, the ATP Backyard Nursery micro-enterprise program expanded from 22 to 150 beneficiaries, offering rural communities opportunities for supplemental income through plant sales and contributing to increased tree availability for afforestation.

Community greening initiatives saw ATP transforming 50 schools, 22 community parks and forests and planting a total of 33,316 trees, including decorative and fruiting varieties.

In environmental education, ATP established and supports 15 eco clubs at partner schools, engaging 1,170 students in eco camps, over 2,000 students in environmental stewardship activities and 2,000 students in tree plantings.

In the realm of environmental resources, ATP developed and piloted a Green Urban Development Model and Online Information-Sharing Learning Portal to promote a green lifestyle in target regions.

Frank Hess, Operational Manager of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Armenia, expressed his satisfaction during his speech, stating, “We are thrilled to have had a partner like ATP in this green urban planning and forestation project, particularly focusing on instilling environmentally friendly culture, including among children. These are crucial priorities of the European Union.”

While celebrating the project’s closure, ATP acknowledges the bittersweet sentiment of concluding a successful partnership. As ATP gears up for its 30th-anniversary festivities, the organization hopes for new partnerships to emerge, ensuring the continued growth of impactful programs initiated or sustained under the “EU4 Environment: Green Community, Resilient Future” project. A heartfelt thank you goes to the EU for envisioning this green initiative and providing crucial funding, along with gratitude to project implementation partners Jinishian Memorial Foundation and Armenian Energy Agency.

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Armenia Tree Project

Armenia Tree Project (ATP) is a non-profit program based in Woburn and Yerevan conducting vitally important environmental projects in Armenia’s cities and villages and seeks support in advancing its reforestation mission. Since 1994, ATP has planted and restored more than 6,000,000 trees, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs.

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