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PRESS RELEASE
November 9, 2005

‘SOS Yerevan’ Protests Loss of Urban Green Spaces

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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?"

The new documentary film, “Desertified City” produced by Vem Media Arts in Yerevan, was shown at the opening of the public forum at AUA. The documentary presented an overview of the damage caused to Yerevan’s green zones in the last decade. The consequences were clearly exposed in the film, which explained that the lack of trees and green spaces prevents the reduction of air pollution, noise, and carbon dioxide, which in its turn leads to respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, especially among children.

Also during the event, representatives from various environmental and social NGOs outlined the danger of deforestation and its impact on human health. They stressed the importance of the restoration of green spaces in the capital. The problem was revealed as being not simply ecological, since much of the construction in the last 12 years damaged urban green spaces and violated architectural and seismological standards.

Among the speakers were Mkrtich Minasyan, President of the Union of Architects of Armenia, Arsen Arustamyn, Institute of Urban Planning Director of Research, Eleonora Gabrielyan, President of the Botanical Union, Sevan Davtyan, Director of the Institute of Non-organic Chemistry at the National Academy of Sciences, Geghuhi Chtchyan, Composer, Lyudmila Harutyunyan, Coordinator of the Open Forum of the Poverty Reduction Strategic Program, and Yelena Manvelyan, President of Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment NGO.

Karine Danielyan, President of the Association for Sustainable Development, led the forum and presented concluding comments. “The center of Yerevan is not suitable for living anymore. The most polluted area is downtown,” she stated. “At first the green areas are destroyed, they are not watered or cultivated properly, and new cafes and restaurants replace resting places and cultural sites. What level of moral degradation are we going to sink to?”

Danielyan suggested that the National Assembly organize hearings on the ecological assessment, particularly addressing the parkland of the city. “We are running out of air to breathe,” she emphasized.

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