YEREVAN (Novosti-Armenia), April 28—The creation of protected areas in Armenia helped to preserve about 60-65 percent of flora and fauna over the past few years, said Tatyana Danielyan, the Head of Biodiversity Management of the Ministry of Nature Protection.

“Creating protected areas is the first of the major factors of environmental protection,” said Danielyan.

She also said that the awareness of citizens and the help of media are also very important factors.

The head of the department of especially protected areas of the Ministry of Ecology Aram Aghasyan said that over the past few years, the network of protected areas has expanded in Armenia. He mentioned that much work is being done on making maps of both old and new protected areas. He thinks that it is very important for preserving the species included in the Red Book.

Aghasyan added that at present, the main problem of environmental protection in Armenia is the disappearance and degradation of the habitats of rare species.

The expert also noted that the Caucasus region is recognized for by several international organizations of nature protection as one of the 20 most vulnerable areas in the world.

“The international organizations pay great attention to this fact and make serious investments to preserve biodiversity in the region,” said Aghasyan.

Translated from Russian by Yerevan Report