Biological Inventory and Conservation of Arevik National Park and Zangezur Sanctuary, Armenia

The Caucasus Region is home to exceptional biological diversity that is surprisingly rich for a region outside of the wet tropics. The Missouri Botanical Garden has a long history of working in the Republic of Georgia, whereas the Center for the Conservation in Western Asia, part of the Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute, has worked extensively in Armenia. The Center’s effort, focusing on protecting declining populations of Armenian mountain vipers, have been instrumental in establishing two protected areas, Arevik National Park established in 2010 and Zangezur Sanctuary established in 2009. Through the Center’s efforts, the reptiles of the region are well known, but not the plants. The purpose of this proposal is to initiate a collaborative program involving the WildCare Institute, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Armenian Academy of Science with the goal of completing a baseline inventory of plants, identifying those that are threatened, and using this information to inform management and conservation efforts in the two protected areas.  This consortium will also aim to provide internships to learn basic plant collecting and identification methods for Washington University students.  The project will also provide information on preferred habitat for Armenian vipers, a species of concern that has been the focus of WildCare Institute conservation efforts.

Research Team

Robbie Hart, Missouri Botanical Garden

Jim Miller, Missouri Botanical Garden
Mark Wanner, Saint Louis Zoo