The package of draft laws on “Amendments to the Law on Specially Protected Nature Areas” and related legislative acts were debated in the first reading at the RA NA sitting on June 17.    
According to Ara Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the RA, the legislative initiative proposes the introduction of a more flexible management system for specially protected natural areas, aligned with international standards. In particular, it envisages the introduction of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Category V: Protected Landscape/Seascape.
The draft also provides for the involvement of local self-government bodies in the management of specially protected natural areas. It establishes a set of mechanisms aimed at improving the investment environment for natural monuments and adjacent areas, enabling both communities and legal entities to manage natural monuments on a competitive basis.
The legislative package also envisages granting specially protected natural areas the right to undertake construction activities exclusively for the implementation of investment programmes.
In addition, the adoption of the package will clarify the legal framework governing the establishment, management and statutory regulation of botanical gardens, arboreta and forest parks, contributing to a more coherent and predictable system for their protection, use and operational management.
The package of draft laws has received a positive opinion from the NA Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Environmental Protection.