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PRESS RELEASE
November 9, 2005

‘SOS Yerevan’ Protests Loss of Urban Green Spaces

Movement Gains Momentum After Shikahogh Issue and With Support of National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia

Hundreds of people, most notably young people, have been gathering to protest the loss of green spaces in public areas of Yerevan; in this photo signs read "Return our green spaces and clean air" and "What happened to the park by the Opera House and other parks in Yerevan?"

YEREVAN--After two press conferences concerning the café being built in front of the Komitas Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan, the “SOS Yerevan” coalition organized a Public Forum at the American University of Armenia (AUA) on October 28. The aim of the forum was to emphasize the threat to numerous cultural sites and the disappearance of green zones throughout the City of Yerevan.

The SOS Yerevan coalition was established by NGOs--including Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Armenian Forests NGO, World Wildlife Fund Caucasus office, Transparency International, Association for Sustainable Development, AUA’s Environmental Conservation and Research Center, and Center for Bird Lovers--in response to the momentum created by the movement to preserve the Shikahogh Nature Reserve in southern Armenia earlier this year.

Since the early 1990s, private cafes have replaced public parks throughout the City of Yerevan. According to many sources in Armenia, decisions to lease public land for private use have been made through the abuse of power, illegal processes, and lack of citizen participation as required by law.

The Ministry of Nature Protection has acknowledged the severity of the issue, with an entire section on Yerevan in its “State of the Environment of the Republic of Armenia” report released in 2003. “The issue is about neglect and violation of the legislation that regulates urban planning. It is a question of violations of the General Plan of Yerevan occurring without public discussion, illegal allocation of land, neglect of existing projects for completion and area reclamation, infringement of copyright, illegal construction of unapproved and even rejected projects,” notes the governmental report.

“Incorrect use of topographic relief, inappropriate construction in green areas, violation of the long-term plan for tree planting in the capital, approved in 1974, and infringement of the landscape planning project for Yerevan territory have turned the capital city into a dusty, dark, choking city,” writes the Ministry of Nature Protection. “Tree cutting in parks, squares, and gardens has ended the main functions of green zones air quality improvement and acoustic insulation, as well as recreational use by citizens,” notes the report in the section on zoning and urban planning.

In October, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and its conductor, Maestro Aram Gharabekian, expressed alarm over the planned construction of a café adjacent to the Komitas Chamber Music Hall. “Aside from the importance of preserving all green zones in the city, this particular area around Komitas Hall serves as buffer for maintaining the quality of sound inside the hall. If this construction is not stopped immediately, the Komitas Chamber Music Hall will cease to exist as a concert hall,” read an October 21 statement from the orchestra.

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