Cbd third National Report Armenia (English version)

Biodiversity and Tourism

◊ Has your country established mechanisms to assess, monitor and measure the impact of tourism on biodiversity?
No
No, but mechanisms are under development	X
Yes, mechanisms are in place (please specify below)
Yes, existing mechanisms are under review
Further comments on the establishment of mechanisms to assess, monitor and measure the impact of tourism on biodiversity.
Mechanisms for assessment and monitoring of tourism impact on biodiversity are not developed in Armenia yet. However, some work has been implemented on the development of such mechanisms in “Sevan” and “Dilijan” National Parks within the “Natural Resources Management and Poverty Reduction” project.

◊ Has your country provided educational and training programmes to the tourism operators so as to increase their awareness of the impacts of tourism on biodiversity and upgrade the technical capacity at the local level to minimize the impacts? (decision V/25)
No	X
No, but programmes are under development
Yes, programmes are in place (please describe below)
Further comments on educational and training programmes provided to tourism operators.
The educational workshops titled “Development of protected areas and regional economies through ecotourism in South Caucasus” with participation of ecotourism and extreme tourism operators from Armenia are aimed at development of tourism in protected areas and adjacent territories. The trainings provided to tour-operators informed them on mechanisms and activities implemented in the sphere of environment protection and sustainable tourism (ecotourism) management.

Does your country provide indigenous and local communities with capacity-building and financial resources to support their participation in tourism policy-making, development planning, product development and management? (decision VII/14)
No
No, but relevant programmes are being considered	X
Yes, some programmes are in place (please provide details below)
Yes, comprehensive programmes are in place (please provide details below)
Further comments in the capacity-building and financial resources provided to indigenous and local communities to support their participation in tourism policy-making, development planning, product development and management.
“Trans-Caucasian Tourism Initiative” implements a project, which promotes the involvement of local self-governing bodies in the development of policy in the field of tourism. Two villages are involved in the project, where the assessment of community capacities for tourism services as well as development of operational guidance is implemented. Tourism Information Centers were established, selection and training of their staff is conducted. In the framework of “Implementation of pilot projects for sustainable development in mountainous areas of the Caucasus – Local Agenda 21” project implemented by REC programs on community sustainable development in two mountainous villages are being implemented, as well as pilot programs for tourism development are being prepared.

Has your country integrated the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development in the development or review of national strategies and plans for tourism development, national biodiversity strategies and actions plans, and other related sectoral strategies? (decision VII/14)
No, but the guidelines are under review
No, but a plan is under consideration to integrate some principles of the guidelines into relevant strategies
Yes, a few principles of the guidelines are integrated into some sectoral plans and NBSAPs (please specify which principle and sector)	X
Yes, many principles of the guidelines are integrated into some sectoral plans and NBSAPs (please specify which principle and sector)
Further information on the sectors where the principles of the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development are integrated.
“Development of programs promoting sustainable ecotourism” section of NBSAP includes the following actions: identify proper territories for ecotourism taking into consideration vulnerability of ecosystems prepare indicators and procedures for ecotourism development in protected areas and their buffer zones prepare indicators and procedures for ecotourism development in different landscape zones evaluate the impact of recreational activities on biodiversity of Lake Sevan basin prepare indicators and procedures for recreational activities in Lake Sevan basin develop and disseminate procedures to comply ecotourism development to environmental norms and attitudes towards the natural ecosystems Develop information and demonstrational materials on biodiversity of eco tourist sites (including protected areas) and behavior in that sites for visitors.

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Please elaborate below on the implementation of this article and associated decisions specifically focusing on: outcomes and impacts of actions taken; contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention; contribution to progress towards the 2010 target; progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans; contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; constraints encountered in implementation.