Protest outside city hall building ignored by city authorities: protesters do not intend to stop

ArmInfo. In Yerevan, on the  eve of summer, trees are being cut down without any mercy. The  growing public discontent has led to a protest action at the  capital's municipality building  today. It was organized by the  "Yerevan for People" public movement.

According to the mayor and his supporters, only trees that have lost  their viability have been cut down since last year, with new ones   planted in their place. However, the protesters claim that city  authorities have not presented a single document confirming this  claim. Moreover, one of the citizens said that when he asked  the  mayor to present such documentation the city authorities  responded a  few days later by demanding that  citizens prove the trees that were  cut down trees were healthy.

The protesters tried to get a meeting with Mayor Tigran Avinyan, as  happened last year during another protest against tree cutting, to  read him the citizens' demands. However, he did not deign to come out  to the participants, so they read their statement in front of the  media.  The demand expressed serious concerns regarding the quality  and methods of landscaping in he city. It was noted that mature trees  and those performing important functions are being massively replaced  by decorative species, which will a negative impact on  the city's  ecosystem for many years to come. The protesters pointed out such  issues as seedlings with damaged roots,  improperly formed crowns,  along with the absence of proper care and irrigation systems. As a  result, the planted trees often wither, and public money can be  considered wasted.

The "Yerevan for People"  initiative proposed  stopping the mass  cutting of trees, sanitary pruning, and separating the functions of  planning, implementation and control of the city's greening, since  there is a conflict of interests. They also suggested stopping all  programs that involve cutting down or replacement of trees until an  independent examination of these programs is conducted and their  results are made public.  Additionally, they recommended that permits  for cutting down each individual tree should be published. At the  same time, "Yerevan for People" suggested initiating the development  of a new city greening program with the involvement of civil  initiatives and international specialized organizations.  After  receiving no response from  city authorities, the protest  participants  decided to write an open letter to the mayor,  start  collecting signatures, and possibly appeal to the Prosecutor  General's Office regarding the illegal tree cutting in Yerevan.