Armenian ex-minister of ecology, Chairperson of For Sustainable Human Development NGO Karine Danielyan said that incomes from mining of Teghut copper-molybdenum deposit cannot compensate the loss that Armenia will suffer in case of Teghut forest elimination. The deposit's development will assist Armenia's economy for five years, while we will never manage to restore the region's ecology, Danielyan told journalist during a protest action against deforestation of Teghut.
According to her, instead of the deposit's development, canning plants can be reopened to create new jobs for local residents. She added that there are unique animals in the region, which are on the Red List, and they will disappear in case of Teghut deforestation.
The protest action of activists against deforestation of Teghut was held on July 28 in front of the central office of VTB Bank (Armenia). The activists accuse the bank of allocating a $243mln loan to Armenian Copper Program aimed at Teghut deforestation for the development of Teghut copper-molybdenum deposit in Lori region.
