World Bank RESILAND Armenia Resilient Landscape Project

The World Bank, together with Armenian partners (ERIU – under the Armenian Ministry of the Environment) will implement the project for more sustainable management and the restoration of forests, wetlands and abandoned mining areas with the aim of strengthening biodiversity, among others. Sida's funding amounts to SEK 47 million over a five-year period. The effort will be co-financed with the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), which has indicated a support of USD 5.45 million. The project consists of four components that include (i) institutional capacity and policy development, (ii) landscape restoration (forests, wetlands and abandoned mines), (iii) promotion of the exploitation of natural resources by local communities, and (iv) project management. These efforts are considered to be highly strategic in order to fulfil Armenia's own plans and international commitments for the restoration of natural resources and their sustainable management. They are also expected to lead to better income opportunities for local communities, including through better use of non-timber-related products from the forest and the development of ecotourism. The project concept proposes an integrated approach to the restoration of forests and wetlands and to create a legal basis for the involvement of local communities in the management of these landscapes that can be replicated on other ecosystems in Armenia.