Numerous Cases of Illegal Logging Uncovered in Arpi Lake National Park

The Shirak region's Prosecutor's Office has revealed that during the examination of criminal proceedings regarding illegal logging, seven reports were prepared regarding illegal tree felling in the area of the "Arpi Lake National Park" State Non-Commercial Organization (SNCO) by the Shirak regional police's Ashotsk division in the first half of 2021. This information was reported by the Public Relations Department of the Republic of Armenia's Prosecutor's Office.

In all the materials prepared, a decision was made to refuse the initiation of criminal proceedings on the grounds of lack of criminal composition, as the damage caused in each case did not exceed the minimum amount specified by the criminal code. The study of the materials indicated that the cases of illegal tree felling by unknown person(s) were documented individually by the employees of the “Arpi Lake National Park” SNCO (one or two trees) and separate reports were sent regarding them. Based on these, the amount of damage caused to the flora was also provided separately by specialists.

However, from the perspective of combating illegal logging, it would have been more effective to document cases of logging throughout the entire area or in specific sections, thereby allowing the compilation of a comprehensive report on the illegal logging conducted. This would have made it possible to initiate a criminal case and pursue the detection of the crime and the accountability of the individuals responsible through a wide range of criminal procedural and operational-investigative measures. By not adopting such an approach, the individuals who engaged in illegal logging have been able to evade criminal liability under Article 296 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, contributing to the recurrence of such incidents in the area.

Considering that the aforementioned is clearly the result of insufficient measures and actions undertaken by competent state bodies to protect the area of the national park from activities that harm forest biodiversity and violations of forest legislation, as well as to prevent crimes against nature, the Shirak region's prosecutor has addressed letters to the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, the head of the State Environmental and Mining Inspection Body, and the head of the Shirak regional police.

The letters raised issues concerning the need to establish round-the-clock controls over the entry and exit of vehicles in forest areas within the territory of the national park to prevent and uncover such crimes, to examine the areas of the relevant forestry enterprises of the SNCO in order to discover other stumps of illegally felled trees, and to provide comprehensive information about these cases, along with a professional conclusion regarding the calculation of damage caused to the flora in the event of discovery. Furthermore, it was deemed necessary to take effective steps to address the omissions and shortcomings that have occurred during the execution of duties by the employees of the "Arpi Lake National Park" SNCO and the police, including implementing disciplinary measures or other forms of accountability against those who committed gross violations.