Prerequisites and obstacles for application of the concept of high conservation value forests in Armenia

The concept of high conservation value forests (HCVF) was proposed by the Forest Stewardship Council to maintain and protect high conservation values in forests. There are six internationally agreed categories of HCVFs and criteria for their identification. Draft national classification and criteria for identification of HCVFs in Armenia were developed in 2016. Their application to the forests in Armenia can identify forest areas with respective values as the basis for defining specific management actions to maintain or protect identified values. The analysis of existing information on forest biodiversity, ecosystems and national framework revealed a number of prerequisites and obstacles for application of the concept at national level in Armenia. There are good prerequisites for identification of respective categories of HCVFs in Armenia as the basis for their protection. The main obstacles need to be solved to apply the concept at national level and protect the forests with high conservation values in Armenia.