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ECOLOGISTS BEAT AN ALARM: NIGHT BATS REGISTERED IN THE RED BOOK MAY DISAPPEAR FROM MAGELA CAVE
arminfo
Thursday, August 18, 10:41
The Magela cave near Noravank, which is the residence of 8 types of the
night bats, has become a sweet spot for businessmen which decided to
"improve" it for tourists.
As the head of non-governmental organization "Ecolur" Inga Zarafyan
said at today's press-conference, for conducting an excursion in the
cave they are going to start construction work their, to widen the
entrance, to imbed in concrete the floor, to set electric lightening
and to build stairs. Everything is OK, if not the fact that 8 types
of the night bats dwell in Magela, 6 of which have been registered
in the Red Book.
She also said that on 18 February during the first public hearings
on the matter specialists were categorically against fulfillment of
such a project, as even the construction noise will force night bats
to leave the cave forever.
But despite indignation of specialists, the programme on "improvement"
of the cave may become true, as this year the project got positive
nature protection expertise, and ecologists may just make a helpless
gesture.
Despite the negative view of ecologists, representative of Energy
and Natural Resources Ministry, Mekhak Apresyan, was optimistic.
"We have thoroughly studied the project. We had two ways out - either
to close the cave, or make it available for tourists but preserve
its ecosystem", - he said and added there are many such caves open
for tourists in the world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
arminfo
Thursday, August 18, 10:41
The Magela cave near Noravank, which is the residence of 8 types of the
night bats, has become a sweet spot for businessmen which decided to
"improve" it for tourists.
As the head of non-governmental organization "Ecolur" Inga Zarafyan
said at today's press-conference, for conducting an excursion in the
cave they are going to start construction work their, to widen the
entrance, to imbed in concrete the floor, to set electric lightening
and to build stairs. Everything is OK, if not the fact that 8 types
of the night bats dwell in Magela, 6 of which have been registered
in the Red Book.
She also said that on 18 February during the first public hearings
on the matter specialists were categorically against fulfillment of
such a project, as even the construction noise will force night bats
to leave the cave forever.
But despite indignation of specialists, the programme on "improvement"
of the cave may become true, as this year the project got positive
nature protection expertise, and ecologists may just make a helpless
gesture.
Despite the negative view of ecologists, representative of Energy
and Natural Resources Ministry, Mekhak Apresyan, was optimistic.
"We have thoroughly studied the project. We had two ways out - either
to close the cave, or make it available for tourists but preserve
its ecosystem", - he said and added there are many such caves open
for tourists in the world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress