$1.2 Million Grant Will Help Support ATP’s Tree Planting, Community Forestry, and Environmental Education Programs Over Next 3 Years
YEREVAN—In recognition of Armenia Tree Project’s (ATP) successful record in tree planting, environmental education, and sustainable development, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded a $1.2 million grant to the organization. The funding will help to underwrite a portion of ATP’s core programs through 2014.
“One of the primary objectives of our partnership with the Norwegian government is to mitigate the impacts of climate change,” explained SEEDS program manager Vardan Melikyan. “And we plan to do this through raising awareness about conservation issues, planting trees to promote sustainable development in Armenia, and fostering a sense of personal commitment about the importance of environmental stewardship.”
ATP launched an exciting new program in 2011 known as SEEDS, or “Social, Economic, and Environmental Development for Sustainability.” It has allowed ATP to build capacity in its reforestation programs while improving results through new methods of program delivery. These include a greater emphasis on community development and investing in social capital in the areas where ATP is planting trees.
“Over the past 17 years, ATP has been quite successful at getting things done on the ground in Armenia, and this was made possible through the support of the diaspora,” added Melikyan. “We believe this grant from Norway demonstrates an investment in our track record and commitment to excellence, and we hope it will inspire others to join in support of our mission.”
The Norway funding will provide partial support for some of ATP’s core programs, including tree planting initiatives in towns and villages throughout Armenia, an expansion of reforestation programs in northern Armenia, maintenance of recently planted forests, environmental education programs that train teachers and inspire youth, and community trainings for sustainable forest management.
In 2011, ATP’s SEEDS Program planted 186,785 tree seedlings on community lands in Fioletovo, Jrashen, Katnajur, Spitak, and Tsakhkaber in the Lori region. The SEEDS team also maintained previously planted sites to improve survival rates by clearing grass around thousands of seedlings that survived their first growing season.
“We have ambitious plans for 2012,” said forestry manager Ani Haykuni. “ATP plans to establish new forests in partnership with the communities of Saratovka and Sverdlov, which have already provided nearly 80 hectares of land for tree planting. ATP has been working with local partners to create small community forests. Towns and villages that are located far from forested areas are given special attention in this program, since they are desperately in need of green spaces.”
The seedlings for ATP’s reforestation programs are grown in the Mirak Family Nursery in Margahovit Village and in backyard nurseries in the Getik River Valley. These newly planted forests are established with oak, pine, ash, apple, and pear seedlings, which are native to the region.
“In addition to planting trees, ATP’s SEEDS Program also addresses community development and socio-economic issues to mitigate some of the root causes of deforestation and unsustainable land use. This includes providing jobs for hundreds of workers in the Lori region for seasonal tree planting, and partnering with other organizations who can bring their development expertise to communities where we are working,” Melikyan said. “These jobs mean people can work in their communities and don’t have to emigrate to Russia to earn a living.”
ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the need to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s three major programs are tree planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives.
For more information about ATP, visit www.armeniatree.org.
More than 7/8 yrs ago a friend´s daughter sent me leaflets/pamphlets describing the good work the Ms Mugar had started in Boston MA,namely the Armenian Tree Project.She asked me to contribute whatever I could ,when celebrating her father´s , say 70th birthday Anniversary, or so ,which did.And afterwars I have sporadically sent in one or two more.
That is not what I wished to convey,not at all.But aside delving upon the importance of that project,which is or rather has come to age and in Armenia more a than a couple million trees have been planted by this prestigious establishment. After those hard yrs when there was shortage of fuel and no gas at all, probalby that many trees were cut down.Besides,Armenia is mostly barren, few areas are covered with green/vegetation,Karastan indeed.
Thence, it is of utmost importance that this benevolent country,Norway, has very kindly made this ¨grant¨-hopefully as a gift-,non commercial.
This kind of foreign aid is altogether different from those that ¨other¨ s grant as aid,whether returnable or non so.
The Norwegian certainly know well how to direct and help implement their aid, since their country is one that is near totally a Forestry destined one and they have ample expericne in that line.As well as lumber producing(when it will someday come to that too in Armenia,when completely forested)
Armenians should be very gratefull to this country,especially when remembering it as the native land of dear Mr. Friedhof Nansen, who was so much a friend of our people. He even went as far a creating a sort of citizenship for the displacxed/refugee Armenians ,after Genocide,in order that latter would not go undocumented,dispersed all over the globe.
A true friend of the Armenian people,he and his nation.
ATP will bring wealth and health for Armenia!!
Thank you Norway.