It Is Necessary to Show More Care and Responsibility Towards Nature and the Environment

Environmental Minister Romanos Petrosyan wrote on his Facebook page: "Every day I receive at least several dozen letters from our citizens, presenting cases of pollution in specially protected natural areas, forested areas, and other natural territories, accompanied by photographs.

Recently, due to the activation of internal tourism, human impact has increased in areas that are particularly significant from a tourism perspective, resulting in severely overburdened sites. Several issues have been recorded in these areas, particularly concerning compliance with environmental legislation due to the accumulation of people, specifically related to pollution and waste disposal.

In order to address this issue, I have instructed the Ministry of Environment to send a relevant letter today to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia. I have requested support through regional administrations to instruct local self-government bodies, adhering to the provisions of Article 51 and Clause 16 of Part 1 of Article 42 of the Law on Local Self-Government, to take measures for the effective protection of specially protected natural areas, natural monuments, historical and cultural sites, as well as the surrounding environment of natural landscapes beloved and extensively used by the population for tourism purposes, and to ensure proper waste disposal in those areas.

An additional letter has been sent to the Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and Subsoil Use to implement specific measures for proper supervision in specially protected natural areas.

Only through effective cooperation between territorial administration and local self-government can we achieve desired results in the shortest timeframe. Dear citizens, contribute to improving Armenia's environmental situation. Each of us, whether responsible for policy in this sector, a community member, or a tourist, has a role in mitigating environmental disasters. While documenting and raising awareness about incidents is essential, it is equally important not to contribute to the deterioration of the situation through personal behavior. It is necessary to show more care and responsibility towards nature and the environment."