The only National Park in Armenia was established in 1978 to protect Lake Sevan and the surrounding areas. Overall, including buffer zones, 150,100 ha are protected, including 24,800 ha of dry land. Sevan National Park falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Nature Protection, and is managed as a research centre, which monitors the ecosystems, and undertakes various conservation measures (including regulation of use and tourism, and protection of historical and cultural monuments). Licensed fishing on the lake is also regulated.

Three main zoning areas exist: the core (reserve) zone, a recreation zone and a zone for economic use. The core protection zone includes the watershed for the lake, and the park also incorporates a number of smaller reserves and reservations. One of the key sites in the park is the Artanish peninsula (25,000 ha), which, being very isolated, is relatively undisturbed. Around 1000 higher plant species (including 94 trees and shrubs) are found in this area, which also supports a range of endemic and rare animal species. Three main zones are recognised within the Artanish peninsula, including the lakeshore habitats (planted forests containing pine, poplar, apricot-tree, oleaster, and sea-buckthorn), a medium altitude zone (20-100m) where species such as juniper and rose are common, and an alpine zone (> 100m) dominated by meadow habitats. However, the first two zones were severely affected by illegal felling during the energy crisis.

Protection is aimed at the rare and endemic species of the lake and surrounding habitats. The diversity of habitats and conditions in the area support a wide range of plants and animals, including:

· Plants - including Acantholimon gabrieljanae, Astragalus goktschaicus, Isatis sevangensis, Sorbus luristanica, S. hajastana, and Adonis wolgensis
· Fish - nine species, including whitefish, Sevan trout, barbel, 'kogak' and carp.
· amphibians - six species including the green toad (Bufo viridis) and a frog (Rana ridibunda);
· Reptiles - 17 species including rock lizards (Lacerta unisexualis, L. nairensis, L. rostombekovi, L. armeniaca) and snakes (Natrix natrix, Coronella austriaca, Vipera erivanensis).
· Birds - 267 species including greylag goose (Anser anser), white winged scoter (Melanitta fusca), red-creasted pochard (Netta rufina), pochard (Aythya ferina), white headed-duck (Oxyora leucocephala), coot (Fulia atra), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), Armenian gull (Larus argentatus armenicus), greater and lesser cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo and P. pygmaeus), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellusi), flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), and black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus).
· Mammals - 34 species; including marbled polecat, otter, manul, leopard, wild goat, wolf, fox, and beech marten.
The decline in the water level of Lake Sevan (by 19m since the 1950s) has severely affected aquatic, coastal swamp and marshland habitats of the park. In addition, a further 10,000 ha of marshland was drained for agricultural use. In particular, the birds using Lake Sevan were affected by these habitat changes, and a number of species no longer breed on the lake. Between 1922 and 1996, the areas used by nesting waterfowl on the lake nearly halved, and the number of Armenian gulls on the lake has also declined dramatically.

There is a need for further research in the Lake Sevan national park, particularly to help with reserve demarcation and to identify the best management approaches for the park and its water resources. It has also been suggested that the park be expanded to incorporate the area previously covered by Lake Gilly, before it was drained, and to undertake some form of habitat restoration of the lake area.

Natural monuments have been established to protect unique and typical natural sites of academic, historic or cultural importance (following a law on specially protected areas passed in 1991). Such sites are protected from disturbance, to avoid loss of small areas of high international importance or of aesthetic value. Each site is considered independently and an appropriate agency is specified for protection. Some monuments include living trees, such as the wide-leaf pines around Tsaghkavan village (Meghri region), Vardan's oak (a national hero), and a Judas tree. Other natural monuments include volcanic formations, various mountain lakes, mineral springs, and waterfalls.

However, natural monuments are not under full legal protection, and inventory and identification procedures are underdeveloped. These sites are considered to be the most threatened within the protected areas system. As a result of human impacts (including mining, tree-felling and constructions) many natural monuments are being degraded and destroyed.

A number of ecosystems and species are not well represented in protected areas, and their survival will rely on conservation efforts outside the protected areas network. Environmental activities are currently only regulated by out-dated laws which relate to control of activities in river valleys, environmentally sensitive areas and collection of particular species. In addition the Ministry of Nature Protection operates three mechanisms which serve to limit damage to biodiversity: a system of hunting licences; provision of special licences for the collection of medicinal plants; and environmental impact assessment for business development.

However, given the current rate of social, economic and political change, a new series of measures is needed to address conservation and land use outside protected areas. These might include legislation, education and improved administration, supported by independent ecological assessments and monitoring of all industrial and other activities.

The Botanic Garden of the National Academy of Science is responsible for plant collections in Armenia. The Botanic Garden was established in 1935 in the north-eastern part of Yerevan (80 ha of semi-desert habitat). Further botanic gardens and nurseries have been established in other regions (Vanadsor, Sevan). The Botanic Institute also houses a collection of plant specimens in its scientific herbarium.

During last 60 years, the collection has grown to include around 1650 species, of which the majority (1070 species) is housed in Yerevan Botanic Garden. Trees represent 40% of the national collection (650 species) and shrubs represent 51% of the collection (850 species).

The Botanic Garden is currently of great interest to visiting specialists, particularly the important collection of Armenian flora (1.5 ha, with around 750 species (25% of the Armenian flora) represented). The collection includes around 200 species of endemic, rare and declining plant species, and provides a basis for the study of Armenian flora, and the ecological interactions of species, in a relatively natural environment.

The Yerevan Zoological Garden was established as an educational, research and conservation institution. In 1997, a range of species were maintained, including 14 fish species, nine amphibian species, 40 reptile species and 47 mammal species. As well as a number of exotic species, native mammals are also kept within the zoo, including brown bear, wolf, fox, lynx, Armenian mouflon, wild goat, and striped hyaena. However, the conservation activities of the zoo are currently limited, with few plans for effective captive breeding of threatened species. Furthermore, in recent years a number of private zoos have been established, without State regulation, which tend to be inappropriately managed, with no significant impact on the survival of threatened species.

A collection of micro-organisms is held at the National Bacteriological Research Centre (established in 1993). Currently, some 6000 species of bacteria and fungi are housed in the collection. Many of the species have important potential for bio-technology use, and others are representatives of crop pests and