Armenia Tree Project - Action Alert

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The following action alert was issued by ATP on June 14, 2005, and over 700 people responded. To read the latest news on this issue and respond to a current action update, click here.

ACTION ALERT: SAVE THE PEOPLE'S FOREST

We are urgently asking for your assistance. The Armenian government has plans to build an interstate highway through the Shikahogh Nature Preserve near the Iranian border. This preserve is one of only three untouched forests in Armenia and is home to many rare and endangered species of plants and animals whose habitat would be irreparably damaged by the proposed road. It is considered to be a primordial, ice-age forest, with some trees as much as 500 years old.

As we write bulldozers are waiting at the border of the preserve. They should have started their work two weeks ago but because of the efforts of an environmental coalition, of which ATP is a member, and a public outcry by Armenians in the homeland and the Diaspora, Shikahogh has won a few weeks’ reprieve.

This forest is a national treasure and is the heritage of the Armenian people. We must do everything we can to save Shikahogh--the People’s Forest--for future generations. We need to make sure that this road is not built through the preserve but takes an alternate route and that the Armenian government does not change the designation of this forest from PRESERVE to NATIONAL PARK, which would allow more roads and commercial activity.

Click here for more information about the proposed road through the Shikahogh Nature Preserve, and then take action today.

If you are in the United States, fill out the form below to join Carolyn Mugar in sending a letter to the Armenian government. In other countries, copy and paste the letter below to President Kocharian via your Ambassador.

President Robert Kocharian
c/o Ambassador Tatoul Markarian
2225 R Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20008

Dear President Kocharian,

I am writing to request that you seek an alternative to the proposed route
for the highway through the Shikahogh forest preserve. This preserve is a
national treasure that we all bear the responsibility for maintaining, and
the damage to its ecological integrity due to the proposed road will be
permanent and irreversible.

The Shikahogh preserve provides unique habitats for many rare and endangered
plants and animals whose survival depends upon the government's responsible
stewardship. I call on you to protect this reserve for the sake of future
generations of Armenians and for the world.

The construction of the proposed road through the preserve will introduce
pollution from passing vehicles into this almost pristine forest, destroy
the habitat for rare wildlife and migratory paths, and attract illegal
logging, depriving future generations of Armenians of an irreplaceable
resource. The encroachment by illegal loggers has already destroyed much of
Armenia's forests during the past decade, which is why I have been
supporting efforts to reforest Armenia.

While I understand the importance of building roads such as this to improve
the country's economy, any gains that may be realized by building this road
through the preserve will be far outweighed by the long-term environmental
and political damage that Armenia will suffer. Therefore, I most urgently
ask you to consider an alternative route.

Sincerely,

Click here for the latest news on the proposed roadway through the Shikahogh Forest Preserve.