Saturday, 13 May 2017
Government Discusses Forest Sector Reforms
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan held a consultation to discuss the draft forest sector reform concept. Introducing the concept’s basic provisions, Agriculture Minister Ignaty Arakelyan pointed out the concept is aimed at promoting sustainable forest management, solving the problems of preservation, protection, reproduction and use of woodlands and providing for increased efficiency of the fight against illegal logging.
The implementation of the reform is necessitated by the imperative of rehabilitating the forest resources, increasing forest coverage, preserving and developing the forestry-related environmental, social and economic activities, as well as the need to ensure continuous and effective use of resources.
During the exchange of views that followed, the meeting discussed issues related to the basic principles and policies specified in the concept.
The Prime Minister stressed that the concept should offer specific and clear-cut solutions to forest conservation, combating illegal logging, control and monitoring of forestry development, as well as the optimization and efficiency of public institutions responsible for forest development and reforestation. Karen Karapetyan instructed to finalize the concept and submit to the Government within the shortest possible deadlines.
