Within the frames of WWF-Armenia’s “Leopard Conservation in Armenia” project about 400 children from the project’s target communities started 2021 school year with a pleasant surprise. WWF Armenia prepared gift bags for preschoolers and schoolchildren from those communities.

The event was preceded by the presentation of the past year’s results by the “leopard caretakers”. They presented the details of the project implementation and the summary of the year. During the year, leopards were regularly caught on cam in Tavush, Vayots Dzor, Ararat and Syunik regions, which you can see at the following link. 

The children’s gifts are environmentally themed and provide information about the fauna in Armenia. The children were very excited and promised to be responsible and caring towards nature.

On August 17, the online award ceremony of the “Wiki Loves Earth 2020” photo contest took place at the Wikimedia Armenia office. The participants had to take a photo of the landscapes of protected areas of Armenia, representatives of flora and fauna, natural monuments and to upload them to Wikipedia store.

The 10 best photos of the Armenian competition will be presented at an international contest, where the winners will receive special prizes. The contest was supported by WWF Armenia with its “Leopard Conservation in Armenia” project.

Such contests are widely supported by WWF Armenia, as these photos, later on, will be used for the pages presenting Armenian nature and environment. As a result of a competition that lasted several months, the authors of a number of photos received awards. WWF set out its prizes for 9 participants. And 3 out of 9 received special prizes.

Camera traps of WWF Armenia captured a Leopard in Yenokavan village of Tavush region.

Earlier, on November 19, 2019, news spread that a villager was attacked by a Leopard in Yenokavan. A laboratory examination of the animal’s hair, taken as a sample from the clothes of a villager injured in the attack, confirmed with 99% accuracy that the animal was a lynx, not a Leopard.

But as Arman Gabrielyan, the injured villager, was still claiming and insisting that the animal which attacked him was a Leopard, WWF Armenia specialists continued field research. As a result, the geography of camera placement has expanded. Arman Gabrielyan himself, the residents of Yenokavan, as well as Apaga Resort Complex provided great support to the research.

The research has shown positive results. The cameras captured photos and videos of the leopard.
We can state that after a 50-year break, the leopard returned to the Tavush region. The last leopards in this area were sighted in the 1970’s. Tavush became the fourth region in Armenia which is a habitat for the leopard.
Karen Manvelyan, Director of WWF Armenia, notes; “This is truly a unique and happy sight because according to the previous laboratory analysis there was only 1% chance that the samples belonged to a leopard. We will continue the field research, and it is obvious that from now on we need higher level of protection in this area. ”

You can watch the video here.

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Starting from 2002, WWF in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, is implementing the leopard conservation project in Armenia. Later, a number of other partner organizations joined the project.

The Armenian Highland is a habitat of the endangered species of the Persian or the Caucasian Leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana). According to some sources, the Caucasian Leopard had been quite commonly spread over Armenia in the 1970-80-s. However, over years, hunting this animal had become so extensive that the Leopard was registered in the Red Data Book of the Armenian SSR in 1987.

Presently, the king of Armenian mountains, the Caucasian Leopard, is included in the Red Data Book of Armenia (2010) and on the IUCN Red List with the status of the «critically endangered» and «endangered» species, respectively. In Armenia, the number of these animals ranges up to 10 individuals.

WWF Armenia continues its series of presentations in educational institutions within the framework of the Leopard Conservation Project in Armenia. On December 20, WWF Armenia’s representatives visited Yenokavan Secondary School to make a presentation about the leopard, its habitat and other endangered species in Armenia. Along with the children, teachers also participated in the event.

As elsewhere, the most favorite moment of the event was the presentation of unique videos and photos about the animals and nature. Arsen Gasparyan, WWF Armenia’s Conservation Projects Coordinator, showed the ARLOOPA application, a virtual version of the leopard. Children liked the application very much and took many pictures with the virtual leopard.

Eco-education is a very important part of WWF’s activities. WWF believes that love towards the nature should be developed from an early age.

All 100 participants (90 children and 10 teachers) of the event received Christmas gifts from the WWF.

The purpose of this event was to raise the level of awareness of the local population about leopard. The importance of this event is also due to the likelihood of a leopard presence in Yenokavan recently (local resident reported that a leopard attempted to attack him). Before receiving reliable data about the existence of a leopard in the area, such events will help answer a number of questions of population about the leopard, as well as raise children’s awareness about the wildlife in general. This events also can help prevent human-wildlife conflict.

WWF Armenia organized an eco-camp for about 50 schoolchildren from Noyemberyan and Koghb communities at Srbasar Forest School invited by Luso Arahet NGO.

Arsen Gasparyan, WWF Armenia’s Conservation Officer, made a presentation on Armenia’s biodiversity; he told about the leopard, its prey species, red deer, its reintroduction project, about the wildlife and their habitat. A number of videos and pictures from nature were shown.

Arman Kandaryan, WWF Armenia’s GIS Expert, introduced GIS systems and their application in biodiversity conservation.

During the second part of the camp, the children had an opportunity to participate in the “Treasure Hunt” game, during which they were able to use theoretical knowledge received during the presentations. The game consisted of two phases. During the first phase, it was necessary to find specific locations using GPS devices where they could get a number of environmental questions. And during the second phase, it was necessary to answer these questions. At the end, all the participants received souvenirs from WWF Armenia.

An eco-education is very important for WWF, especially among the younger generation. As we think that love towards the nature should be developed starting from an early age. That’s why almost all WWF projects have an eco-education component.

From April 15-16th, 2019 a training was conducted in Vayots Dzor region within the frameworks of WWF Armenia’s Conservation of Caucasian Leopard and Eco-Corridors Fund programs.

Among 30 participants of the training were the employees of Khosrov Forest State Reserve, Zangezur Biosphere Complex, Inspectorate for Nature Protection and Mineral Resources as well as leopard and community protected area caretakers.

The topics of the training were the diversity and monitoring of large mammals occurring in the protected areas of Southern Armenia. A practical fieldwork was held in Arpa Protected Landscape where the participants learned to collect and report field monitoring data, use GPS equipment, install camera traps, etc.

On February 25-26, 2019 a workshop on “National Plan for the Conservation of Leopard” was held in Vayk town of Vayots Dzor region.

The workshop was organized by WWF Armenia in cooperation with the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia. More than 30 specialists and experts participated in the workshop from state bodies, private sector and scientific institutions.

The aim of the “National Plan for the Conservation of Leopard” was to revise the leopard conservation, monitoring, educational, population engagement and other activities for 10 years. It will be elaborated on the basis of the Regional Strategy of Leopard Conservation, which was launched at the conference in Tbilisi in 2017. More than 100 local and international specialists participated in the development of this strategy.

The development of the national plan has both environmental and socio-educational significance.

Interestingly, on the same day, Arpa Protected Landscape’s rangers saw the leopard by their own eyes in the area where the workshop was being conducted. They even could make a video of the leopard. This was the first time when any human being could make a video of the leopard without a camera trap in Armenia. You can watch the video here.

On February 19, within the frames of the “Conservation of Caucasian Leopard In Southern Armenia” project implemented by WWF Armenia, the opening ceremony of Eco-Playground took place in the Karchevan village of Meghri community.

The playground has an important social and educational function for the children. It aims to create a pleasant environment for the children’s leisure and to teach about the endangered species in the area. Mkhitar Zakaryan, head of the Meghri community, many guests and WWF representatives participated in the ceremony.
You can watch the video here.

On the same day, within the frames of the same project, the opening ceremony of Solar Station for the School took place in Nrnadzor village of Meghri community. 7.5 kWh solar station was installed on the roof of the secondary school of the village. The station will provide full-fledged energy for heating in winter. At the same time, during the summer months, the station will allow the school to accumulate solar energy for the future needs of community. The installation of the station is very important for the school, because during the winter months from time to time the classes were interrupted due to insufficient heating.

The “Conservation of Caucasian Leopard In Southern Armenia” project emphasizes the development of communities adjacent to the protected areas by implementing socio-economic, ecological and eco-education activities. These two projects were selected as a result of a joint discussion with community members.
You can watch the video here.

WWF-Armenia, in partnership with Ayb School in Yerevan and Gnishik Protected Landscape have worked, since December, to introduce the Junior Rangers Programme (JRP) to Armenia. Started in 2002 by the European Conservation Area Federation (EUROPARC), JRP seeks to bring teenagers together in the name of environmental education. Through inclusive and productive initiatives, WWF-Armenia hopes to further nurture a conservation consciousness among Armenia’s youth, throughout the country. JRP operates in 80 protected areas across 19 different EU countries, uniting over 5000 participants through a range of environmental activities.

Preparatory phases took place in December as WWF-Armenia employees and Gnishik Protected Landscape professionals conducted competitions to determine the lucky participants of the scheme. The first visit of Ayb’s schoolchildren to Vayots Dzor – a stunning region in the South-East of Armenia, in which Gnishik is situated – was then conducted in February. The participants were divided into four teams; ecotourism, research, community and media. The teams have since operated in a number of villages across the region, throughout their monthly visits, working towards further developing the bonds within and between communities, and promoting environmental awareness, throughout Armenia.

Community team went to Khachik, Areni and Yeghegnadzor communities to participate in open discussions, sharing concerns and meaningful solutions to conservation issues within Gnishik. Accordingly, the ecotourism team consequently marked trails, installed informational signboards, allowing for a wider number of people to experience the fantastic nature that this region has to offer.

The research team acted as wildlife monitors; installing camera traps, observing and counting Bezoar goats (listed in the Red Book of Armenia as endangered) and registering footprints and other traces of a number of species present in the area.

The community team focused on the facilitation of seminars; setting up small competitions, activities and presentations about the JRP’s findings and ensuring wider community involvement.

The media team would then work on recording the activities of other groups, providing their work for exhibitions and ensuring quality content for a showcase that we hope to conduct in the near future.

Education at a young age, concerning environmental issues, is vital for the sustainability of these Protected Areas. The JRP serves to facilitate such education by bringing young people together from across Armenia, to this end. The collective sharing of opinions and findings between the various communities will serve to benefit the members of all those involved in the programme, as well as contributing to the conservation efforts currently underway within Gnishik. The teenagers, as part of the programme, will further develop their understanding of shared responsibility for environmental protection across issues such as pollution, freshwater sources and the logistics of governance.

We hope that this eco-education model can also be introduced in other Protected Areas, throughout Armenia, attracting even more young people from adjacent communities to involve themselves in the conservation of Armenian nature.

Arsen Gasparyan, WWF-Armenia’s conservation officer, stated that the feedback received from all participants, thus far, has been excellent. Providing willing individuals from Yerevan and Gnishik with the opportunity for ‘real on-ground work’ has been a great draw; ‘they gained knowledge, they gained experience and they found some new places within Armenia’. The draw of the JRP for young people from Yerevan is clear, but the ‘communication between participants’, he said, has also been fantastic. Gasparyan described it as a ‘win-win situation’ for both the schools and the Protected Areas, as the benefits of the infrastructure and other use-oriented activities is already being realised.

On January 14, WWF Armenia, Arpa Protected Landscape and Ayb School with the support of Yerevan Metro after Karen Demirchyan presented “Junior Rangers” exhibition at the “Yeritasardakan” station.
The exhibition was organized within the frames of “Junior Rangers Program” educational initiative. This project has been implemented by the above-mentioned three structures in Armenia since 2017.

During the project, Ayb School pupils together with the pupils living in Arpa Protected Landscape’s adjacent Areni and Khachik communities, conducted wildlife research and organized discussions. They exchanged thoughts on environmental issues and their solutions during the discussions, marked ecotourism trails, placed information boards and conducted seminars for the community schools on the environmental issues.

In addition, Ayb School pupils organized presentations for the pupils from Vayots Dzor region presenting possible solutions to existing the environmental issues.

Most of the photos presented at the exhibition belongs to the pupils of Ayb School. They show the most exciting moments of the project, as well as the nature and historical-cultural sites of Arpa Protected Landscape.
The “Junior Range Program” is an international project initiated by the EUROPARC Federation in 2002. The aim of the project is to unify young people based on environmental education. The project operates in 80 protected areas from 19 EU countries uniting around 5,000 participants.

Exciting news, leopard lovers! A young male leopard has found his way to Armenia. We spoke to our very own wildlife expert, Alexander Malkhasyan, to get all of the details. He has been working on the WWF leopard program since he joined the team in 2002. Doing field work and monitoring across the southern parts of Armenia may not sound like a glamorous job on paper, but in reality it is a different level of adventure that many of us cannot even imagine.

Alexander is the best expert that Armenia has to offer. In order to do his work, he needs to literally become one with nature, often cutting himself off from civilization for weeks or even months at a time. It is not an easy job, but his love and dedication to his work shone through during our conversation, and today we are happy to share with you some of the fruitful results of his hard work and perseverance.

Part of what Alexander does is setting up and installing cameras across the wilderness with the hopes of capturing photos and videos of our hard to glimpse wildlife. Thanks to one of his cameras, we were able to capture footage of a young Caucasian leopard in the Khosrov Forest State Reserve (appx. 74.5 km from Yerevan). Alexander explains how the placement of these cameras are really important; you need to understand the animals very well. Think about where they would go, so that you can choose where to place the cameras to capture the best shots; “If you put it in the wrong place, years will go by and you will never get a photo.”

This particular leopard, that we have decided to name Leo/Neo, was photographed in the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, an area which was recently badly affected by a massive forest fire. The last leopards in this area were sighted about 18 years ago, but they were poached one by one and forced out of this region. Leo/Neo has miraculously come back to the land of his ancestors without ever having been there before himself. “This area of land actually has favorable conditions in terms of prey,” said Alexander, “but the fact that he managed to get this far is nothing short of a miracle.”

That’s right, this young leopard’s journey was a long and dangerous one, his story is quite shocking! It is highly likely that Leo/Neo is the same leopard which was first sighted and photographed in Nakhijevan when he was just a little cub. “If our calculations are correct, then he was most likely born in the Zangezur Mountains, in July 2016,” said Malkhasyan; that would make this beautiful creature about 3 years old.

This also means that, in order to get here, he needed to trek across treacherous terrain, crossing the conflict border from Azerbaijan to Armenia travelling, at the very least, 250 km through the mountains of Vayotz Dzor and Zangezour. He needed to avoid dangers such as soldiers, dogs from herders, the human population, and more. “Plus it doesn’t help that he’s a male,” chuckled Alexander to himself, “male species are not as clever as females, they are automatically at a higher risk of dying until they reach a certain age. This is especially true for this leopard, as he’s unfamiliar with the area.”

It is a truly rare and happy moment as there are fewer than 1,300 caucasian leopards left in the wild and their range has extremely declined. “Many of the challenges leopards face are unfortunately man made,” said Alexander. “I can’t stress it enough, it’s so unlikely that he’s managed to make it this far without dying already.”

Poaching and heavy military presence are two direct ways in which humans threaten this species’ survival. However, while there are laws in place against killing the caucasian leopard (especially when done on preservation lands), in reality, it’s very rare for a leopard to be seen by any human. “In all the years I’ve worked, I’ve never seen a leopard in person” said Malkhasyan, “I’ve seen tracks and I’ve seen prey, but I’ve never come face to face with a leopard itself.” Further habitat protection measures have allowed for favorable conditions, which are beginning to ensure a sustainable habitat for the Caucasian leopard in new regions of Armenia.

“People have little to no awareness about the beautiful wildlife we have,” said Alexander with a touch of sadness and frustration. “They don’t value animals, and certainly don’t understand them. It’s unlikely that an animal will attack a human. There are very few cases where that might happen. Either they are feeling trapped and afraid, or they are protecting their cubs. Otherwise, they are either mildly curious or completely ignore people.”

Of course being faced with a leopard is a terrifying experience. “I know of a case where a person was so scared after having seen a leopard that they became ill with diabetes after the incident,” said Alexander seriously. Humans are more dangerous to leopards than the other way around, but dangers people cause are usually less direct. The troubling problem is that humans hunt down the leopard’s prey, their main sources of food. “More needs to be done to protect their environment and ecosystem. People should understand and be aware of the domino effect that will eventually lead to the extinction of this glorious animal,” said Alexander. In the case of Leo/Neo, we need to cherish and pamper him, so that he will feel welcomed and at home.

This means protecting the leopard indirectly by protecting umbrella species, those creatures which make the habitat liveable for larger predators. In short, we need to stop the process of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. Caucasian leopards are particularly vulnerable to this on account of the remote and mountainous regions that they inhabit. These leopards are truly a gem, and we need to make an effort not to chase these rare beauties away. “That’s the kind of work we try to do,” said Alexander. “For example we managed to stop the government from building a highway through certain parts of Meghri, in order to protect the natural habitat in the area.”

So, taking into consideration all the dangers and risks, why did this big cat travel so far from his mother? In fact, there are a few reasons for the leopard to have come here. Leopards are known to like open spaces, and they always seek new territory in the hopes of finding food. At 3 years old, it’s the perfect time for a young male leopard to separate from its mother and go in search of a lovely female leopard. “Actually, he needs to find his own territory, separate from his father,” explained Alexander. “Each dominant male takes up a huge amount of space, as his territory reaches areas of up to 451 square kilometres.”

They specifically like undisturbed environments where prey is abundant and the preconditions are set for them to create a family; If food is scarce, he’ll have no reason to stay. Getting photos of Leo/Neo was cause for celebration though; “we had very little hope after the recent forest fire in Khosrov,” said Alexander, “it’s as though he decided to bring new life to a place we thought would die out.”

Setting up the cameras was no easy feat for Alexander either; he had to convince employees at the reserve. “I knew that it would be a strategic spot, but people kept arguing with me, saying that there haven’t been sightings for years,” he smirked. “Besides that, we always have issues with poachers damaging or stealing the cameras, but we never lose hope. We continue to patiently work for years and years, until we finally get to see results like this.”

“I didn’t believe my eyes when I first saw the footage,” said Alexander, with a smile that reached his eyes. “I took out the chip from the camera and when I saw the photo, it took me a while to snap out of my shock. I called the office straight away, excited to share the news!” It seems only fitting that the man who has worked for years in the field would be the first to discover the results of his work. As for the rest of us, we hope that the leopard finds a suitable home with a perfect mate, ultimately breeding a new population of Caucasian leopards, here in Armenia!

WWF-Armenia, Ayb School and Arpa Protected Landscape are launching the “Junior Ranger Program” initiative, which is being implemented in Armenia for the first time. The goal of the initiative is to promote ecological education in protected areas and involve schoolchildren in environmental activities. The duration of the pilot project will be 6 months.

The “Junior Ranger Program” was established in 2002 by the European Conservation Area Federation (EUROPARC). It currently unites more than 5,000 teenagers from almost all over the Europe, as well as 80 protected areas in 19 EU countries.

Within the framework of the project, schoolchildren from Ayb School will contribute to the ecotourism development, conservation strengthening, wildlife monitoring, environmental awareness raising and education. During some stages of the project schoolchildren from Areni and Khachik communities of the Arpa Protected Landscape will join the initiative which will strengthen the cooperation between the communities. An informational training and field visit to the Arpa Protected Landscape have already been organised at the start of the project, during which the participants have got acquainted with the achievements, infrastructures and existing environmental issues of the protected area. Participants will be divided into the groups to initiate and implement various environmental activities together with WWF-Armenia, Ayb School and Arpa Protected Landscape professionals.

In case of success of the “Junior Ranger Pilot Program” in Armenia, this eco-education model can also be introduced in other specially protected nature areas as an environmental education tool, which is particularly important for attracting teenagers from adjacent communities to nature conservation.

Within the Leopard Conservation Project, WWF-Armenia initiated a discussion on the introduction of the 24-hour pilot protection system in the “Arevik” National Park with participation of the Ministry of Nature Protection, Zangezur Biosphere Complex, Caucasus Nature Fund and Support Program for Protected Areas representatives.

During the meeting, it has been discussed the introduction of protection system, which will carry out 24-hour patrolling on the territory of the national park or throughout the whole Zangezur Biosphere Complex through day and night time visits. It is anticipated that each patrolling group will cover 7000-10000 hectares according to the defined routes. The routes will be designed by specialists based on geographical location of the area, the passage of roads, and the poaching frequency.

The representative of the Support Program for Protected Areas (SPPA), who participated in the discussion, said that within the SPPA project they are ready to provide the necessary equipment for the groups. The Caucasus Nature Fund can provide with the required fuel, as well as bonuses to the staff for the successful implementation of the project.

At the end of the meeting, in the framework of the WWF-Armenia’s Leopard conservation project, as a the first step the field equipment were given to the “Zangezur” Biosphere Complex SNCO, which manages the “Arevik” National Park, including binoculars, GPS, photo camera, sleeping bags, tents and so on.

From now on, employees of Arevik National Park, which is part of the Zangezur Biosphere Complex, will have an opportunity to control even the most remote areas of the national park with online video cameras. This will significantly contribute to the effective preservation of the national park and poaching level decrease.

This has become possible thanks to the installation of 4 online cameras which will be powered by solar energy for the first time. This is a pilot project and, in case of positive result, it will have its continuation and will be adopted in other protected areas of Armenia.

The initiative was implemented within the framework of WWF-Armenia’s Leopard Conservation project and HSBC Bank Armenia’s “Let’s protect Threatened Species in Armenia” project.

This year, it’s already second time that WWF-Armenia is placing solar panels in national parks. First was in Dilijan National Park and this time is in the Arevik National Park. The use of modern technology will increase the efficiency of work, and most importantly, will contribute to the process of developing Green Armenia.

WWF-Armenia continues its series of seminars and workshops in educational institutions as well as presentations for the students within Leopard conservation project.

On November 14^th, staff of the WWF-Armenia made a presentation for schoolchildren in Yerevan basic school N145 after Silva Kaputikyan. The main topics of discussion were Caucasian Leopard and its prey species, their conservation activities, research and monitoring. The highlight of the meeting was presentation of unique video and photo materials of Armenian fauna.

On November 25^th, Leopard Conservation Project’s coordinator Dr. Arsen Gasparyan made presentation at the Yerevan State University, Faculty of Journalism on conservation of threatened species and main nature conservation issues.

These series of presentations aim to raise awareness of schoolchildren and students on importance of biodiversity, our wildlife, climate change impacts and other ecological problems, also to motivate schoolchildren and students for biodiversity conservation.

On November 30^th, the educational workshop for beginners in the statistical programming language R was realized at the WWF-Armenia within cooperation with Zoology Department of the Yerevan State University. This software becomes more and more popular in all the academic fields and scientific research. The staff members of the WWF, staff and students of the Zoology Department of the YSU participated in the workshop. The participants learned about the advantages of this open-access software and how to do first data analysis, manipulations and visualizations. The workshop was conducted by Judith Rakowski, who is a Master student of the Geography Department at the Humboldt-University of Berlin and is doing an internship at the WWF-Armenia office.

Seven road blocks and fifteen signboards have been installed by WWF-Armenia in the Arevik National Park with financial support of HSBC Bank Armenia and WWF-Armenia’s “Leopard Conservation Project”.

The initiative was implemented in the frames of “Let’s protect Threatened Species in Armenia” project, which aims to strengthen protected areas and ensure better protection and monitoring for target species such as Caucasian Leopard, Bezoar Goat, Armenian Mouflon in the Arevik National Park. This activity supports the protection of habitats for the species, facilitate prevention of poaching and raise public awareness on nature conservation.

The seven installed road blocks will prevent the access of poachers and other unauthorized vehicles to the National Park. Thereby, poaching and the level of disturbances will be reduced. The newly installed signboards provide information about the Arevik National Park, give necessary notice for wildfire prevention in the area, etc.

WWF-Armenia is very thankful to the staff of the “Arevik National Park” branch of the Zangezur Biosphere Complex for their support in installation of the signboards and roadblocks.

HSBC Bank Armenia is one of the best partner organizations of WWF-Armenia supporting the projects dedicated to the wildlife conservation.

On October 22, WWF-Armenia and HSBC Bank Armenia staff did volunteer work in the Caucasian Red Deer Breeding Center. In particular, the whole area of ​​the Breeding center was cleaned, warning signs were placed, the fence was repaired, and the improvement works were carried out.

This initiative was implemented within the frames of “Let’s protect Armenia’s Endangered Species” project, which aims to strengthen protected areas and ensure better protection and monitoring for them.

During the event, Arsen Gasparyan and Arthur Alaverdyan, WWF-Armenia project coordinators, presented Caucasian Leopard Conservation and Caucasian Red Deer Reintroduction programs in Armenia, as well as the main environmental concerns in the country and the measure to address them.

HSBC Bank Armenia is one of the best partner organizations of WWF-Armenia supporting the projects aimed at the protection of wildlife.

On November 1-2, 2017 40 schoolchildren from Yerevan, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions participated in the eco-camp organised by WWF-Armenia and the United Nations Office in Armenia in Vayots Dzor. This camp was the final stage of the “Me and My Corner of Nature” environmental initiative, launched earlier in spring. The camp participants were the authors of the best works of «Me and My Corner of Nature” photo contest as well as a number of other schoolchildren from the above mentioned regions.

The representatives of the UN Armenia Office presented 17 Sustainable Development Goals through various games, videos and presentations. The Goals were adopted by world leaders at an historic UN Summit in September, 2015. 17 goals are aimed at eliminating poverty in all its forms, addressing a range of social needs and climate change issues.

Then representatives of WWF-Armenia presented Caucasian Leopard Conservation Project, as well as modern field survey techniques, during which participants had the opportunity to see one of the main methods of wildlife observation – photo and camera traps. They learned the principles of their installation and operation. The participants could also see the Bezoar goats in wildlife. The camp was filled with interactive games, competitions, songs and dances.

The Environmental protection and Mining Inspection body of Armenia and the WWF – Armenia signed a memorandum of understanding on 19th of October.

Within the framework of this Memorandum, WWF-Armenia undertakes to assist the inspection body by providing the necessary equipment and fuel, to organize trainings and exercises that will increase the capacities and skills of the staff of Vayots Dzor and Syunik province branches of the Inspectorate; as well as to assist in the activities of the Inspectorate for the protection of the Caucasian leopard, Bezoar goat, Armenian mouflon and other endangered species. The Environmental protection and Mining Inspection body of Armenia in its turn undertakes to conduct tours on regularly basis to the habitats of the above listed species and to provide WWF-Armenia with information on violations recorded during the tour.

On July 10, 2017, the results of the contest “Take a picture with the Leopard”, implemented in the framework of the Environmental Information Campaign, were summed up. The contest was organized by WWF-Armenia. The winners were selected by the jury.

More than hundred photographs, which contained important and interesting information on the Caucasian Leopard, have participated in the competition. According to the results of the competition, the winner became Lusine Stepanyan, who was awarded the main prize, a mountain bike. David Hayrapetyan and Manana Hovakimyan took second and third places. The jury also highlighted the most creative participant, Argishti Mkrtchyan, who decided to play chess with a virtual leopard.

The participants were able to get a three-dimensional animated picture of the leopard by scanning the marker with the picture of it through ARLOOPA app. The initiative was jointly implemented with ARLOOPA (X-Tech).
Company director Arman Atoyan mentions: “Over 10,000 scannings from around the world have been registered during the competition. The initiative also took part in the recent AR / VR exhibition in the United States, where a combination of nature protection and information technology has been of great interest. ”

Arsen Gasparyan, the coordinator of WWF-Armenia’s Caucasian Leopard Conservation Project, notes: “This initiative is one of the modern versions of eco-education. Today, information technologies are an inseparable part of our lives, and that fact can be best served for the conservation of nature.”

You can watch the award-giving ceremony video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYslKJmSgQg&t=57s

On July 28th, staff members of the WWF-Armenia visited Gugark summer camp. We made a presentation about the Caucasian Leopard, its prey species and habitat, showed footage and photos of Armenian wildlife. The participants also photographed with virtual leopard via ARLOOPA app.

On June 5, on the occasion of the World Environment Day, the photo exhibition “Me and My Corner of Nature” initiated by WWF Armenia and UN Armenia was opened in Lovers’ Park, Yerevan.

The exhibition includes photos sent by schoolchildren from different regions of Armenia within the educational campaign “Me and my corner of nature”. Children are depicted in the photos in their favorite corners of nature. Photos by WWF Armenia’s environmental specialist Alexander Malkhasyan depicting some endangered species that are included in the Red book of Armenia are also exhibited. On June 7-14, the photos will be exhibited in UN House Armenia.

The main purpose of the educational campaign “Me and my corner of nature” is to raise awareness among children about environmental goals of sustainable development as well as about a number of endangered species in Armenia among which are the Caucasian leopard, Bezoar goat and Armenian mouflon. The authors of the best three photos will receive symbolic gifts, and certificates will be granted to all participants. In the second phase of the campaign the selected participants are expected to present their proposals addressing an environmental issue in their respective communities.

The authors of the best proposals will participate in an environmental field camp in autumn.

Starting from May 16, WWF Armenia launches “Take a Photo with the Leopard” environmental information campaign. Within the campaign’s framework, it will be possible to enliven Caucasian leopard with ARLOOPA application and take a photo with him. The initiative is being supported by X-Tech IT Company, which joined WWF- Armenia’s “Leopard caretakers” network.

Special ground marker and banner will be placed in different educational and public places (Yerevan State University, YSU’s Ijevan Branch, UWC Dilijan College, Yerevan Lovers Park, Dalma Garden Mall, Green Been, DoubleTree By Hilton Yerevan City Center hotel, Yerevan Botanical Garden, Tumo Park), which will allow people to get leopard’s animated three-dimensional image by their smart devices (using ARLOOPA app). The app also allows you to take photos with the leopard, hear its voice, etc.

As a part of the campaign, online photo contest is announced till June 16, 2017. People should place a photo with the animated leopard on their Facebook page, along with an interesting fact about the leopard. The posts should have #WWFArmenia and #LeoAlive hashtags. The juries will choose a winner of the best photo and the most interesting fact. The winner will get a grand prize – mountain bike.

WWF Armenia’s “Leopard Conservation” Project’s Coordinator Arsen Gasparyan says: “The use of modern technology will increase the efficiency of the campaign helping to create a unique connection between man and nature.”

From May 5 to May 6, 2017 the Eco-Camp was organized for students of the UWC Dilijan School in the Arpa Protected Landscape. The aim of the event was to conduct environmental seminar and to organize a field visit to raise the awareness on Leopard Conservation project in Armenia.

The environmental event was organized within the framework of «In the Wake of the Leopard» campaign initiated by WWF-Armenia. About 20 participants from different countries, who are the students of the college, joint the camp.

The camp started from the WWF-Armenia office where students had chance to get acquainted with WWF staff and their projects in Armenia. Next stop was Arpa Protected Landscape’s visitor center in Vayots Dzor where they met Arus Nersisyan, director of the Gnishik Intercommunity Environmental Foundation. After the small presentation the group moved to Noravank Monastery, a 13th-century Armenian monastery, located in a narrow gorge of Noravank, near the town of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. Later the group visited Areni-1 cave, a 6100-year-old winery that was discovered in the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor region. The oldest shoe of the world was found in the same cave in 2008. Last stop of the day was Bezoar goats observation point in Shatin village of Vayots Dzor region, where students could see several groups of bezoar goats in the wildlife. The observation point was created by WWF-Armenia to promote community-based ecotourism in the area.

Second day’s agenda included field visit and hiking to the Arpa Protected Landscape where participants observed wildlife and incredible landscapes of Noravank Gorge. WWF-Armenia’s wildlife expert Mr. Alexander Malkhasyan presented wildlife monitoring methods of WWF and demonstrated camera traps installation. Arsen Gasparyan, Leopard Conservation project national coordinator presented WWF’s efforts towards the threatened animal species conservation. The students were introduced results of animals’ bioactivity, such as footprints and food remains.

The camp was full of information, positive emotions and good memories. It’s just a beginning of very productive cooperation between UWC Dilijan College and WWF-Armenia.

Last week Ayb School hosted WWF-Armenia representatives.

The meetings, which were organized for two different age groups, were held within the framework of the “Leopard Conservation” project, implemented by WWF in Armenia for already 15 years.

During the meetings, the coordinator of WWF- Armenia “Leopard Conservation” project Arsen Gasparyan told about the leopard, presenting its main habitats, endangering factors, project achievements, prey species, etc. During the meeting, students had the opportunity to watch video and photo materials of camera traps which were presenting Armenian wildlife. The students were very interested and active which made the atmosphere very interactive and meaningful.

Competitions on different environmental topics were announced during the meetings, within which students will present paintings, photos, essays and other works.

These meetings aim to raise the level of public awareness on the importance of the wildlife and environmental issues, as well as create a sense of responsibility towards the nature conservation.

From March 3, 2017 the WWF-Armenia, with the support of the Karen Demirchyan Yerevan Metro CJSC, presents “Caucasian Leopard – the King of Armenian Mountains” exhibition in “Yeritasardakan” Station of Metro.

The exhibition is organized within the framework of 15-year anniversary of Caucasian Leopard conservation project in Armenia, which is being implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Armenian branch – WWF-Armenia. Since 2002, the WWF has been implementing a conservation project on this species in Armenia, thanks to which the animal has not only returned to Armenia but also registered a positive trend.

The Caucasian Leopard conservation project coordinator Arsen Gasparyan notes: “The exhibition aims to raise awareness on the Caucasian leopard –the miracle of our nature. During the whole year we intend to implement number of activities which will represent the role and importance of leopard for Armenian nature. ”

The Karen Demirchyan Yerevan Metro CJSC’s Deputy Director Gevorg Avetisyan says: “We liked the initiative very much and agreed to support the exhibition with the great pleasure. In general, Metro encourages every initiative which has educational and cultural significance. ”

The photos, which are on display, present the main natural habitats of the Caucasian leopard, the prey species (Bezoar goat, Armenian mouflon, Roe deer, etc.), as well as some conservation measures.

March 3 is not a random day. It’s a World Wildlife Day, which aims to raise awareness on the conservation of the world’s threatened wild animals and plants. This year’s slogan is “Listen to the young voices” which encourages the young leaders and future decision-makers to protect endangered wildlife of our planet.

On December 1, WWF-Armenia visited Dilijan Central School, which belongs to the Ayb family schools. The aim of the visit was to introduce the Armenian nature, endangered species, and the main measures of their protection, forests and their importance to the children.

During the meeting, Mr. Arsen Gasparyan, the coordinator of WWF- Armenia “Leopard Conservation” project in Armenia, presented the latest shots and footages of photo-traps. Children liked this very much and were very excited. Mr. Artur Alaverdyan, coordinator of the forest projects of WWF-Armenia, presented the current state of Armenia’s forests and possible dynamics. The topic was so interesting that children started an active discussion with the presenter about the ways of saving forests and their importance.

While children were having classes, WWF- staff visited the school and got acquainted with the school’s unique teaching methodology which ensures the development of children. The existence of such a school in Dilijan is not only significant from the educational point of view but also extremely important for the overall development of the community.

This series of meetings aimed at raising the level of public awareness on the importance of the forests, wildlife and environmental issues, as well as creating a sense of responsibility towards the nature conservation.

WWF-Armenia continues its series of awareness raising presentations on Armenian biodiversity. This time Mr. Arsen Gasparyan, WWF-Armenia’s Leopard Conservation Project Coordinator, made 3 presentations for 3 different audience groups.

First meeting was held on October 3, in the frames of World Animal Day celebration at Yerevan State University Zoology Department.  The topic of the meeting was Leopard Conservation in the Southern Caucasus. Mr. Gasparyan presented the main threats for the Leopard in the region, showed the last materials received by camera traps and told about the prey species of Leopard.

Second meeting was held at the Armenian Society for the Protection of Birds’ Dsegh nature visitor center, on October 5. The main topic of discussion was Caucasian Leopard and its prey species which are all endangered species of Armenian fauna. Mr. Gasparyan presented the methods of their conservation and behavior research, protected areas of Armenia and their characteristics, as well as WWF- Armenia’s mission, goals, implemented projects and their importance for Armenia.

Third presentation, held by Mr. Gasparyan on October 13, took place in Green Bean café, and the initiator of the meeting was “Birding Armenia” club. The hero of the discussion was again Caucasian Leopard, the king of Armenian biodiversity. Afterwards, Mr. Alexander Malkhasyan, zoologist and wildlife expert of WWF-Armenia, presented the monitoring methodology of endangered species in Armenia, as well as WWF’s approach towards their conservation.

It is gratifying to note that all three presentations were full of people listening to the specialists attentively and asking questions with the great enthusiasm. WWF-Armenia will continue its awareness raising events which aim to present Armenian unique, rich and spectacular biodiversity.

In the frameworks of Caucasian Leopard Conservation Project, WWF-Armenia launches Leopard Caretakers Network Project which aims to unite the society, international organizations, private and public sectors to strengthen conservation mechanisms of leopard and its prey species (Bezoar Goat, Armenian Mouflon, Roe Deer, etc.).

For this purpose, WWF has already chosen environmentalists from the leopard habitat adjacent communities who will carry out intensive monitoring and field surveys in this habitat to increase the security level of animals.   All the caretakers have passed special trainings and practical workshops, as well as received all the necessary equipment for the fieldwork. Educational activities have been also launched to present to the public the importance of leopard existence for Armenian wildlife, as well as its major threats.

Caucasian leopard was registered in the first Red Book of Soviet Armenia in 1987. There were almost no signs of leopard presence in Armenia in 2000. Since 2002, WWF has been implementing a conservation project on this species in Armenia, thanks to which the animal not only returned to Armenia but also registered a positive trend.

As Arsen Gasparyan, the coordinator of WWF’s Leopard Conservation Project in Armenia, mentioned: “The next stage of the project includes cooperation agreements with educational institutions, the private sector and international organizations. Thanks to this we can unite our efforts in saving the species.  Also, there will be different competitions and exhibitions aiming to raise the public awareness. Leopard is one of the symbols of Armenia and its national power; it shows up in ancient stone carvings, stories and paintings. It symbolizes wisdom and the ability to survive in very difficult circumstances. And if we consider that Leopard is the King of Armenian biodiversity, it means by saving Leopard we are saving the Kingdom –amazingly beautiful Armenian nature”.

The Persian (Caucasus) Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor, Pocock, 1927 = P. p. cis-caucasica, Satunin, 1914) is a globally threatened subspecies classified as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN. Once widespread throughout the Caucasus, the Persian leopard today is the rarest mammal in the region, holding out in a few small and isolated subpopulations, and the species is both red-listed in all Caucasus countries and recognised as a focal species for conservation for the entire Caucasus Ecoregion.

Already for 15 years, WWF in partnership with IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group actively assists responsible Governmental Organisations in the conservation of this flagship animal. In this period, populations of the main prey species of the leopard, such as Bezoar Goat or Mouflon, have increased by at least 15%. Leopard records have also increased, with more than 230 camera-trap photos and 30 videos of leopards have been obtained during last years in the Nakhchyvan Autonomous Republic and Tallish Mountains of Azerbaijan, as well as in southern Armenia, allowing for the identification of several territorial leopards.

Despite these conservation successes, recent leopard records from camera traps point to a highly worrisome phenomena: since autumn 2015, our camera-traps have several times depicted two injured, foot-amputated leopard individuals, who – according to our records – were absolutely healthy before. The causes of these damages are still unclear. Given the extremely low number of Persian leopards in the region we clearly feel our responsibility and obligation to urgently call for deeper research and comprehensive assessments of leopard mutilations.

An effective mitigation of this threat is becoming even much more important considering very recent and very good news passed by colleagues from Nakhchyvan, where the earlier identified female leopard was photographed with two well-advanced cubs. The same female with her two cubs was also observed in southern Armenia in December 2015. The discovery of young leopards in the Zangezur Mountains demonstrates that the protection of wildlife has improved in this region and that leopards can live and reproduce again. Thanks to the conservation efforts, the leopard has again a chance to survive and recover in the south-eastern Lesser Caucasus of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran.

We will take new efforts to save the leopard in the Caucasus. The WWF Caucasus Programme (supported by WWF Switzerland and WWF Germany in partnership with Humboldt University Berlin) and the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group (supported by the Foundation Segré) will together tackle the challenging issues that in situ and ex situ leopard conservation in the Caucasus currently is facing. These new opportunities – in combination with existing governmental will and effort – revives our motivation and confidence to continue and intensify work towards survival of the Caucasus leopard and other wildlife species in a long-term perspective.