Seminar on Issues of Climate Change and Forests Held for the Students at the ASPU (20/4/2011)

The students of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography at the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan were introduced to sustainable forest management and issues of forest adaptation to climate change impacts and of elevated forest fire risks in Armenia in a seminar organized on the 20^th of April, 2011 in the scope of the “Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in Mountain Forest Ecosystems of Armenia” UNDP/GEF project.

A full lecture hall of about 60 active students listened to the presentations given by UNV Adaptive Forest Management Specialist Sipi Jaakkola and UNDP/GEF Project Task Leader Aram Ter-Zakaryan. The topics of the seminar raised questions and discussions among the students and the faculty members showing the timeliness of the seminar and importance of the presented issues.

Mrs. Svetlana Hovakimyan, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography made the welcoming remarks at the seminar. This was the second time a seminar on climate change issues was organized at the Armenian State Pedagogical University by the different projects of the Climate Change Information Center of Armenia and it was agreed by both faculty and project staff members that similar seminars should be organized again in the future. Moreover, the UNDP/GEF project will support preparation of four Master theses at the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography of ASPU on subjects related to vulnerability of ecosystems to climate change impacts.