Natural Resources Management and Poverty Reduction

The project area covers mountain, forest, meadow and steppe ecosystems in the Gegharkunik and Tavoush Districts, including a transboundary wildlife corridor between Armenia and Georgia. The protected areas (PAs) are Sevan National Park (1,500 sq km) and Dilijan State Preserve (290 sq km). Lake Sevan NP has unique alpine lake ecosystem and littoral habitats, while Dilijan NR has a uniqe forest ecosystem containing endangered species in the Southern Caucasus dependent on broad-leaved forests. There are also sites of cultural heritage amenities and thus with potential for eco- and natural heritage tourism. However, these sites are currently under pressure from illegal activities, including logging for timber and fuelwood and resulting soil erosion. Pressures on some 10% of biodiversity resources are also expected to increase with the government's planned rural infrastructure that is geared towards improving rural livelihoods. The root causes are thus sectoral in nature, including weak regulatory agencies, limited financial resources to continuously manage forest and pasture lands, lack of alternative income generating options in rural communities, and lack of public awareness. To address these issues and link them to poverty reduction, the project plans to engge in the following: (1) participatory watershed management (estimated at $7.0 m IDA/GEF); (2) forest management (estimated at $4.5 m IDA/GEF); (3) protected area management and biodiversity conservation (estimated at $4.5 m (IDA/GEF); and (4) project coordination and management (estimated at $1.0 m IDA. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Nature Protection, in coordination with the ministries of agriculture, forestry, and the Department of Protected Areas. Some interagency committee (PPSC) will be set up, and it is expected that local research institutes and NGOs will be involved. Outputs of the PDF-A include: (1) management plan and investment plans for both sites, (2) comprehensive assessment of planning and policy capacities; (3) public participation plan; (4) training plan; (5) detailed investment package; and (6) implementation plan.