Projects

Preservation of the Lake Sevan

Lake Sevan occupies a unique place in the natural landscape and ecology of Armenia. Before the artificial lowering of its water level, 80% of all water resources in Armenia were concentrated in Lake Sevan.

Lake Sevan is significant for Armenia and the Armenian people: it occupies a unique place: with its wonderful flora and fauna in the biodiversity of the country; and fish plays an important role in the diet of the Armenian population. Lake Sevan has strategic importance not only for the country but for the whole region.

Since the beginning of the 1930s the indiscriminate use of water resources caused irreparable damage to the Lakes’s ecosystem.

The water level recession caused the diminishing of natural spawn places of Winter trout and Bojak.  These endemic fish species are extinct, while Gegharkuni and Summer trout have survived in very small quantities.

 

Since the 1980s, the government of Armenia has taken a number of measures; however, the ecological state of the Lake is still unstable. The reason is that sewage sludge and household and industrial wastes are dumped into the lake.

Besides targeting fish restocking and water levels, the Fund also aims to target distinct environmental problems via different programs and activities. The funding base for such activities are sourced from the profit of the company (Sevani Ishkhan CJSC) founded by the Fund as well as from the amount paid by the cage farms. The farms will pay the Fund 200 AMD for every 1kg of fish bred in the Lake.  As a result, the paid amount will be used to increase the water level and restore the ecological balance.

TROUT RESTOCKING

Sevan trout is an endemic fish species in Amenia, which was once represented by four subspecies: Summer trout, Gegharkuni trout, Winter trout and Bojak. All of these subspecies were found only in Lake Sevan and for centuries were considered a source of high-quality protein. Unfortunately, Winter trout and Bojak are now extinct, while Gegharkuni and Summer trout have diminished considerably. Today, Sevan trout is included in the Red Book, which means that it is treated as a priority species on the “endangered list” – and therefore requires urgent measures to prevent its total extinction.

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