Problems in Tree Replacement Program in Yerevan: Recommendations Received from the National Academy of Sciences

On April 5, a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the Republic of Armenia’s Biodiversity and Biosecurity Problematic Council discussed the program entitled "Replacement of Trees in Yerevan Community That Are Close to the End of Their Viability and Completely Deformed with Valuable and Ornamental Trees." The meeting was chaired by Ruben Harutyunyan, the Secretary of the Department of Natural Sciences of the NAS.

Directors of scientific institutes and centers within the NAS, scientific staff, the Director of the Yerevan Municipality's "Greening and Environmental Protection" organization, Armen Begoyan, Deputy Director for Development Arthur Khalatyan, Chief Dendrologist Artavazd Grigoryan, and other representatives from the municipality, along with experts from the Ministry of Environment, higher education institutions, and specialists participated in the meeting.

Arsen Gasparyan, the Director of the Institute of Botany named after Armen Takhtajyan of the NAS, Lilith Sahakyan, the Director of the Center for Ecological-Nospherical Research of the NAS, and Sargis Aghayan, the Director of the Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of the NAS, noted in their speeches that their scientific institutions had not been consulted for opinions regarding the program, therefore, they could not provide comments on it.

It was mentioned that Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan announced the temporary halt of the tree replacement program, expecting the municipality to receive substantiated documentation from the scientific circles. Ruben Harutyunyan emphasized this announcement and added that it confirms the existence of problems in the program that cannot be overlooked.

Armen Begoyan cited the scientific conference held at the municipality on February 23, 2023, which included participants from scientific institutes and centers of the NAS. Representatives of the NAS noted that participation in the conference did not provide an official opinion from the scientific institution, as the scientists involved in the program had expressed their personal views within the framework of their academic freedom. No scientific basis has been presented to the public, summarizing the existing problems and the ensuing steps.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the discussion, participants presented the following issues and recommendations for their resolution: the National Academy of Sciences and its specialized research entities, including the Institute of Botany named after Armen Takhtajyan, the Center for Ecological-Nospherical Research, and the Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology have not received and discussed the program "Replacement of Trees in Yerevan Community That Are Close to the End of Their Viability and Completely Deformed with Valuable and Ornamental Trees," and therefore have not provided professional opinions on it.

The organization is suggested to present the program to the aforementioned specialized entities for a multifaceted and comprehensive discussion, as all scientists from the participating research organizations have raised several proposals and concerns regarding the implemented program, which can only be summarized based on a complete discussion of the program.

Participants welcomed the steps taken by the "Greening and Environmental Protection" organization towards scientific-based decisions, but emphasized that discussions of such large-scale programs at the scientific council established by the organization are not sufficient at the expert level. Many concerns, gaps, and questions raised by scientists during the meeting require further research and analysis of the available information.

The organization is recommended to delegate the specialized entities for research, including dendrological studies, assessing the climate change adaptability of the proposed species, conservation of biodiversity, and ecological risk assessments of sanitary risks (spread of pests), and other perspectives, allowing decision-makers to implement greening measures more effectively and communicate with the public.

It is crucial to present the scientific research foundations based on which the decision was made to start the tree replacement. The NAS is ready to provide relevant opinions within the shortest possible time.

The tree replacement program is relevant, but has a short-term nature, and it is necessary to consider the implementation of greening and other environmental measures in terms of long-term goals and problem-solving, including using functional landscaping, native solutions, and innovative landscape-architectural approaches.

A long-term environmental strategy for the city of Yerevan is recommended to be developed. Specialized organizations of the NAS are willing to cooperate and contribute to making Yerevan greener and ecologically healthy.

The bases for evaluating the viability of trees were voiced and discussed. In particular, the importance of necessary equipment for assessing tree viability and presenting the results of viability studies for each felled tree was highlighted, which would increase public confidence.

The relevant specialists of the NAS are ready to assist the employees of the "Greening and Environmental Protection" organization in retraining efforts.