The kick -off meeting for the upcoming PPG for UNEP/GEF Land Restoration and Ecosystem Service Improvement through Use of Fruit and Nut Tree Biodiversity in Armenia project has taken place today on 17th November, 2023, organized by the UN Environment programme,  RA Ministry of Environment, RA Forest Committee and REC Caucasus. The kick off meeting has gathered decision makers from the leading forestry and biodiversity agencies, experts and civil society to discuss the current strategic directions of the project, including

• Component 1: Policies, and institutions to sustainably manage agrobiodiversity for restoration
• Component 2: Agrobiodiversity planting materials, information and management practices
• Component 3: Capacity building at all levels to assess manage and benefit from the use of fruit and nut tree diversity.

During the preparation phase, the development of the project will be finalized, including undertaking stakeholder consultations and data collection in order to facilitate participation and define relevant baseline and complementary activities; and developing a CEO Endorsement Request package for submission to the GEF.  Project aims to leverage the conservation caucus model to increase the sustainability of funding for protected areas systems in Armenia. Participants have discussed important aspects of the biodiversity conservation model in Armenia, as well as afforestation and forest restoration, mentioning that the project will keep its sustainability supporting the newly founded Forest service which will be established soon. Meanwhile, the project will work with local communities, NGOs, undertaking capacity building activities.

Forest Committee Mr. Armen Danielyan has presented the main project features, including policies and institutions to sustainably manage agrobiodiversity for restoration, aimed at baseline assessment of national and regional (provincial) policy and legislative framework including relevant management/development plans and strategies on use of fruit and nut tree biodiversity, current national regulatory framework on wild nut/fruit and other high-value forest resources harvesting. Project will also work on identification of areas in selected regions for measures on mitigating risks of climate change and land degradation through planting fruit and nut trees and other tree species in deforested areas. As a result of the project its planned to stablish Center for Biodiversity and Climate Adaptation Knowledge in peri-urban forest area for educational and public awareness purposes. Project will also work on identification of areas to implement sustainable land and forest restoration (demonstration sites) through indigenous fruit and nut trees in degraded communal areas outside the pilots.

Director of REC Caucasus Ms. Nune Harutyunyan has presented experience of REC Caucasus in forest and landscape restoration, producing the digital forest and landscape Atlas which was designed with the help of GEF UNEP project in collaboration with World Resources Institute and Rec Caucasus teams.