3.2.A. Fodder production on natural pastures and hayfields
Data, text, and results presentation – Ելենա Բուկվարևա (BCC Armenia)
Provided ES in Armenia
The volume of provided ES is equal to the amount of fodder that can be used by livestock without harming pasture condition—that is, the maximum allowable stocking rate. The Government of Armenia Decision No. 389-N of 14 April 2011 (https://www.arlis.am/DocumentView.aspx?DocID=67394) defines this value for the main grassland zones in Armenia (Table 32A-1). These values are defined based on the relationship between grassland productivity and livestock demand for forage, so they can also be applied to hayfields. Hereafter, for brevity, we will use the term “pastures” to also include hayfields. Livestock numbers were converted to livestock units (LU), with 1 LU defined as one 500-kg cow.
Table 32A-1. Pasture area required to maintain one livestock unit (LU) for the entire grazing season, as defined in Government of Armenia Decision No. 389-N, and the maximum permissible stocking density recalculated from the mean required pasture-area values.
| Grassland types | Pasture area required per LU for the entire grazing season, ha | Maximum allowable stocking rate (LU/ha) | |
| Range of values | Միջին | ||
| Alpine | 2 – 2.5 | 2.25 | 0.44 |
| Subalpine | 1 – 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.91 |
| meadow-steppe and post-forest grasslands | 1.5 – 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.63 |
| Տափաստանային | 2 – 2.5 | 2.25 | 0.44 |
| Կիսաանապատ | 6 – 7 | 6.5 | 0.15 |
For the preliminary ES mapping based on the vegetation map, we adopted the values shown in Table 1 for analogous vegetation zones and for open woodlands, we used the steppe-zone value of 0.44. Tree cover (ESRI, 2023) and marshes were excluded from the pasture category. Thus, all calculations of the allowable stocking rate for the different vegetation zones were made for non-woody natural areas (hereafter, “non-woody areas”).
The map of the maximum permissible stocking rate (Fig. 32A-1) shows the amount of the ES provided. Subalpine meadows provide the largest amount of livestock forage (maximum permissible total number of livestock units—389,000 LU), with steppes and gasslands in forest zone contributing a substantial share (161,000 – 230,000 LU). Semi-desert, desert and grasslands in woodland zones provide the least of this ES due to their low productivity and the limited extent of these vegetation zones (Figure 32A-2).
Figure 32A-1. Provided ES of livestock forage production: maximum permissible number of livestock units per hectare (LU/ha) 
Figure 32A-2. Total carrying capacity of non-woody areas: maximum allowable total number of livestock units in different vagatation zoneս
Changes in land cover recorded by ESRI from 2017 to 2023 led to a reduction in non-woody areas across all zones except broadleaf woodlands, and to a corresponding decrease in the volume of ES provided. The greatest reduction in non-woody area occurred in the meadow-steppe and steppe zones (Figure 32A-3 a), with the allowable livestock numbers decreasing by 152,000 and 95,000 LU, respectively (Figure 32A-3 b). 
Figure 32A-3. Changes in the provided ES from 2017 to 2023: a) Changes in non-woody natural area; b) Changes in the maximum allowable total number of livestock units.
Provided ES across marzes
The largest volume of the ES is provided by non-woody areas in marzes Gegharkunik, Lori, and Syunik, with total stocking capacities ranging from 180,000 to 205,000 LU. In Gegharkunik marz, subalpine grasslands have the largest total carrying capacity; in Lori and Syunik marzes, they likewise account for about half of the total capacity. In Lori, Syunik, and Tavush marzes, grasslands within the forest zone constitute a substantial share of the total capacity. The lowest capacity of 7,000 LU is observed in the semi-desert of Armavir marz (Figure 32A-4).
Changes in land cover recorded by ESRI from 2017 to 2023 led to the greatest reduction of non-woody areas in Shirak marz, reducing their total capacity by 114,000 LU. A noticeable reduction in carrying capacity—by tens of thousands of LU —also occurred in marzes Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Lori, and Syunik. Across all marzes, the decline in capacity was driven primarily by the reduction in the area of steppe and meadow-steppe (Figure 32A-5).
Figure 32A-4. Total carrying capacity of non-woody areas across marzes 
Figure 32A-5. Changes in total stocking capacity of non-woody natural areas across marzes
Table 32A-1. Non-woody natural area across vegetation zones and marzes, km2
| Արագած-ոտն | Արարատ | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Կոտայք | Լոռի | Շիրակ | Սյունիք | Տավուշ | Վայոց ձոր | Ընդամենը | |
| Ալպիական մարգագետիններ և գորգեր | 202.5 | 37.1 | 0.0 | 390.9 | 113.6 | 44.0 | 126.1 | 530.4 | 0.3 | 212.4 | 1657.4 |
| Ենթալպյան մարգագետիններ | 100.1 | 61.0 | 0.0 | 1234.4 | 196.5 | 853.7 | 375.3 | 828.7 | 260.1 | 368.6 | 4278.4 |
| Մարգագետնատափաստան | 509.7 | 29.9 | 0.0 | 393.5 | 228.1 | 637.9 | 397.0 | 286.6 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 2559.1 |
| Տափաստանային | 516.4 | 738.3 | 0.0 | 809.5 | 443.7 | 356.4 | 804.8 | 789.4 | 11.6 | 759.7 | 5229.8 |
| Grasslands in forest zone | 26.8 | 102.8 | 0.0 | 183.5 | 203.3 | 672.5 | 0.0 | 734.7 | 846.9 | 154.0 | 2924.5 |
| Grasslands in juniper zone | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.3 | 0.0 | 97.6 | 130.9 |
| Grasslands in broadleaf woodlands | 0.0 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 1.2 | 53.4 | 0.0 | 119.3 | 510.2 | 3.4 | 702.1 |
| Կիսաանապատ | 742.3 | 470.3 | 455.4 | 0.0 | 278.7 | 0.0 | 17.1 | 115.6 | 0.0 | 369.2 | 2448.7 |
| Անապատ | 0.0 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.9 |
| Ընդամենը | 2097.8 | 1453.2 | 455.4 | 3039.5 | 1465.2 | 2617.8 | 1720.4 | 3418.0 | 1629.1 | 2041.4 | 19937.8 |
Table 32A-2. Changes in non-woody area from 2017 to 2023 across vegetation zones and marzes, km2
| Արագած-ոտն | Արարատ | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Կոտայք | Լոռի | Շիրակ | Սյունիք | Տավուշ | Վայոց ձոր | Ընդամենը | |
| Ալպիական մարգագետիններ և գորգեր | -0.3 | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -1.2 | 0.0 | -0.1 | -1.2 |
| Ենթալպյան մարգագետիններ | -0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -10.2 | 0.5 | -13.4 | -21.6 | -0.3 | -0.1 | -0.2 | -46.2 |
| Մարգագետնատափաստան | -59.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -19.3 | 0.2 | -45.6 | -92.1 | -25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -241.5 |
| Տափաստանային | 6.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | -59.7 | -6.2 | -46.5 | -82.6 | -26.1 | 0.0 | -0.8 | -215.3 |
| Grasslands in forest zone | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -5.3 | -3.8 | -6.1 | 0.0 | -9.4 | -0.6 | -1.0 | -26.6 |
| Grasslands in juniper zone | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| Grasslands in broadleaf woodlands | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4.3 | -0.1 | 5.8 |
| Կիսաանապատ | -13.1 | 17.8 | -0.9 | 0.0 | -9.6 | 0.0 | -0.1 | -0.6 | 0.0 | -0.5 | -7.0 |
| Անապատ | 0.0 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
| Ընդամենը | -68.4 | 18.1 | -0.9 | -93.2 | -18.4 | -111.6 | -196.4 | -62.5 | 3.6 | -2.8 | -532.5 |
Table 32A-3. Total stocking capacity of non-woody areas across vegetation zones and marzes, maximum allowable number of livestock units, thousands of LU
| Արագած-ոտն | Արարատ | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Կոտայք | Լոռի | Շիրակ | Սյունիք | Տավուշ | Վայոց ձոր | Ընդամենը | ||
| Ալպիական մարգագետիններ և գորգեր | 8.91 | 1.63 | 0.00 | 17.20 | 5.00 | 1.94 | 5.55 | 23.34 | 0.01 | 9.35 | 72.93 | |
| Ենթալպյան մարգագետիններ | 9.11 | 5.55 | 0.00 | 112.33 | 17.88 | 77.69 | 34.16 | 75.41 | 23.66 | 33.54 | 389.33 | |
| Մարգագետնատափաստան | 32.11 | 1.88 | 0.00 | 24.79 | 14.37 | 40.19 | 25.01 | 18.06 | 0.00 | 4.82 | 161.22 | |
| Տափաստանային | 22.72 | 32.49 | 0.00 | 35.62 | 19.52 | 15.68 | 35.41 | 34.73 | 0.51 | 33.43 | 230.11 | |
| Grasslands in forest zone | 1.69 | 6.48 | 0.00 | 11.56 | 12.81 | 42.36 | 0.00 | 46.29 | 53.36 | 9.70 | 184.24 | |
| Grasslands in juniper zone | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.88 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.59 | 0.00 | 4.30 | 5.76 | |
| Grasslands in broadleaf woodlands | 0.00 | 0.30 | 0.00 | 0.34 | 0.05 | 2.35 | 0.00 | 5.25 | 22.45 | 0.15 | 30.89 | |
| Կիսաանապատ | 11.13 | 7.05 | 6.83 | 0.00 | 4.18 | 0.00 | 0.26 | 1.73 | 0.00 | 5.54 | 36.73 | |
| Անապատ | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.10 | |
| Ընդամենը | 85.68 | 55.49 | 6.83 | 202.72 | 73.82 | 180.20 | 100.38 | 205.40 | 99.99 | 100.81 | ||
Table 32A-4. Changes in total stocking capacity of non-woody areas from 2017 to 2023 across vegetation zones and marzes, maximum allowable number of livestock units, thousands of LU
| Արագած-ոտն | Արարատ | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Կոտայք | Լոռի | Շիրակ | Սյունիք | Տավուշ | Վայոց ձոր | Ընդամենը | |
| Ալպիական մարգագետիններ և գորգեր | -0.14 | -0.03 | 0.00 | -0.04 | 0.26 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -0.54 | 0.00 | -0.03 | -0.5 |
| Ենթալպյան մարգագետիններ | -0.86 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -9.26 | 0.41 | -12.24 | -19.62 | -0.29 | -0.08 | -0.15 | -42.1 |
| Մարգագետնատափաստան | -37.69 | 0.02 | 0.00 | -12.16 | 0.14 | -28.70 | -58.02 | -15.73 | 0.00 | -0.01 | -152.2 |
| Տափաստանային | 2.68 | 0.27 | 0.00 | -26.27 | -2.74 | -20.48 | -36.35 | -11.50 | 0.00 | -0.34 | -94.7 |
| Grasslands in forest zone | -0.21 | -0.02 | 0.00 | -3.34 | -2.42 | -3.85 | 0.00 | -5.91 | -0.39 | -0.61 | -16.7 |
| Grasslands in juniper zone | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | -0.12 | -0.1 |
| Grasslands in broadleaf woodlands | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.59 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 1.87 | -0.03 | 2.5 |
| Կիսաանապատ | -1.96 | 2.67 | -0.13 | 0.00 | -1.44 | 0.00 | -0.01 | -0.09 | 0.00 | -0.08 | -1.1 |
| Անապատ | 0.00 | -0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.0 |
| Ընդամենը | -38.2 | 2.9 | -0.1 | -50.5 | -5.8 | -65.2 | -114.0 | -34.0 | 1.4 | -1.4 | -304.9 |
Supply-use ES balance
Grasslands provide forage in summer and, as hay, in winter, comprising 65–70% of total feed demand (Tovmasyan, 2020). However, an IFC/World Bank report (IFC, 2017) notes that silage and compound feeds are not widely used in Armenia, and in practice the share of concentrates is generally below the recommended 30–35%. For sheep and goats, the share of concentrates is generally lower than for cattle. For the preliminary assessment, we assumed that grasslands provide 70% of the diet for cattle and 80% of the diet for sheep and goats. We also assumed an average livestock unit (LU) coefficient of 0.75 for all the cattle of different age and 0.14 for all sheep and goats of different age (Tovmasyan, 2015). Total number of LU adjusted for diet shares is shown in the Table 32A-5.
When comparing the supplied and used ES, it is important to note that not all grassland area is designated for pastures. In Armstat’s regional statistics we did not find direct data on pasture and hayfield area by marz, so we derived it as the difference between total agricultural land area and arable land area (row 1 in Table 32A-6). Another source of data on pasture area could be the land-cover class areas (Statistical…, 2023), specifically, the area of meadows (row 2 in Table 32A-6).
Since we do not have a pasture map, we do not know their distribution across vegetation zones. Therefore, we had to use the average value of stocking capacity across all vegetation zones in each marz (row 6 in Table 32A-6). The stocking capacity of the pasture area Сէջ (row 7 in Table 32A-6), was computed as Сէջ=Cg(Sէջ/Sg), where Գg is grazing capacity of all non-woody natural area (row 6 in Table 32A-6), Sէջ is the area of pastures (row 1 in Table 32A-6), and Sg is the area of non-woody natural area derived from ESRI data (row 3 in Table 32A-6). The grazing capacity of meadows was calculated in a similar manner as as Сm=Cg(Sm/Sg), where Sm is the area of meadows (row 2 in Table 32A-6). The share of grazing capacity used for the area of pastures and hayfields derived from regional ArmStat statistics was calculated as Uէջ = (N/Сէջ)*100, where N is number of LU based on ArmStat data from the Table 32A-5. The share of grazing capacity used for the area of meadows derived from land cover ArmStat statistics was calculated as Um = (N/Сm)*100.
Table 32A-5. Livestock numbers in 2023, thousands
| Անասուններ | Sheep and goats | Total number of LU adjusted for diet shares | |||||
| Armstat data | LU | LU adjusted for the 70% diet share | Armstat data | LU | LU adjusted for the 80% diet share | ||
| Aragatsotn Region | 57.7 | 43.3 | 30.3 | 92.3 | 12.9 | 10.3 | 40.6 |
| Ararat Region | 38.1 | 28.6 | 20.0 | 106.0 | 14.8 | 11.9 | 31.9 |
| Armavir Region | 53.0 | 39.8 | 27.8 | 141.4 | 19.8 | 15.8 | 43.7 |
| Gegharkunik Region | 81.5 | 61.1 | 42.8 | 99.1 | 13.9 | 11.1 | 53.9 |
| Kotayk Region | 45.1 | 33.8 | 23.7 | 38.5 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 28.0 |
| Lori Region | 70.8 | 53.1 | 37.2 | 31.1 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 40.7 |
| Shirak Region | 70.1 | 52.6 | 36.8 | 73.7 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 45.1 |
| Syunik Region | 37.0 | 27.8 | 19.4 | 78.5 | 11.0 | 8.8 | 28.2 |
| Tavush Region | 29.1 | 21.8 | 15.3 | 18.4 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 17.3 |
| Vayots Dzor Region | 16.0 | 12.0 | 8.4 | 16.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 10.3 |
Table 32A-6. Total carrying capacity of pastures and meadows, and the share used, by marz
| Արագած-ոտն | Ara-rat | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Ko-tayk | Լոռի | Shi-rak | Syu-nik | Ta-vush | Վայոց ձոր | Armavir+ Aragatsotn | ||
| 1 | Area of pastures, thousands of ha, Sէջ | 164.5 | 131.9 | 57.1 | 263.7 | 117.1 | 208.9 | 132.8 | 262.1 | 85.2 | 173.6 | 221.6 |
| 2 | Area of meadows, thousands of ha, Sm | 163.3 | 99.3 | 29.3 | 238.1 | 102.8 | 200.4 | 144.4 | 194.8 | 82.7 | 114.8 | 0.3 |
| 3 | Non-woody natural area (ESRI, 2023), thousands of ha, Sg | 209.8 | 145.3 | 45.5 | 303.9 | 146.5 | 261.8 | 172 | 341.8 | 162.9 | 204.1 | 255.3 |
| 4 | Share of pasture area in total non-woody area, Sէջ/Sg | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| 5 | Share of meadow area in total non-woody area, Sm/Sg | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| 6 | Capacity of non-woody natural area, thousands of LU, Գg | 85.7 | 55.5 | 6.8 | 202.7 | 73.8 | 180.2 | 100.4 | 205.4 | 100 | 100.8 | 92.5 |
| 7 | Capacity of pastures, thousands of LU,Сէջ | 67.2 | 50.4 | 8.6 | 175.9 | 59 | 143.8 | 77.5 | 157.5 | 52.3 | 85.8 | 80.3 |
| 8 | Capacity of meadows, thousands of LU,Сէջ | 66.7 | 37.9 | 4.4 | 158.8 | 51.8 | 137.9 | 84.3 | 117 | 50.8 | 56.7 | 69.8 |
| 9 | Number of LU based on ArmStat data, 2023, N | 40.6 | 31.9 | 43.7 | 53.9 | 28 | 40.7 | 45.1 | 28.2 | 17.3 | 10.3 | 84.3 |
| 10 | Share of pasture capacity used, %, Uէջ | 60.5 | 63.3 | 509.5 | 30.6 | 47.4 | 28.3 | 58.1 | 17.9 | 33.2 | 12 | 105 |
| 11 | Share of meadow capacity used, %, Um | 60.9 | 84.1 | 994.1 | 33.9 | 54.1 | 29.5 | 53.5 | 24.1 | 34.2 | 18.2 | 120.8 |
According to these calculations, in all marzes except Armavir the livestock numbers do not exceed the grazing capacity of pastures/meadows, ranging from 84% in Ararat to 12% in Vayots Dzor (Figure 32A-6). In Armavir marz, the livestock numbers are 5–10 times higher than the grazing capacity. This figure may be explained by livestock registered in Armavir being grazed on areas classified as arable land, kept under stall-feeding/zero-grazing, or grazed on pastures in the neighboring Aragatsotn marz. However, even if all livestock from Armavir and Aragatsotn were evenly distributed across both marzes, their combined herd size would exceed the combined grazing capacity of the two marzes (the last column in Table 32A-6). 
Figure 32A-6. Share of carrying capacity of pastures and meadows used, %.
In the above ES assessment, we do not take into account the degree of pasture degradation, which greatly reduces the amount of ES provided. For example, according to Tovmasyan (2020), the permissible grazing rate on degraded pastures at risk of erosion is reduced by 60% compared to pastures in good condition. Grazing should be prohibited altogether on severely degraded pastures with a high risk of erosion. Thus, the above estimate represents an upper bound that must be reduced to account for the degree of pasture degradation.
The map of the degree of pasture degradation in Armenia was not available to us; therefore, for a preliminary assessment we used a map of degraded lands from Armenian report for UNCCD (Government…, 2023) (Figure 32A-7 a), assuming that no grazing takes place in the areas identified there as degraded. The share of degraded non-woody natural areas by marz was determined after excluding croplands, built-up areas, and tree cover from this map (Figure 32A-7 b).
Figure 32A-7. The map of land degradation from UNCCD report (a) and the map used for this assessment with croplands, built-up areas, and tree cover excluded (b)
After subtracting from the total carrying capacity a portion equal to the share of degraded land in each marz, capacity utilization in all marzes—except Armavir—did not exceed 100%, ranging from 92% in Ararat to 12% in Vayots Dzor (Table 32A-7; Figure 32A-8). In Armavir marz, the livestock numbers are 7–14 times higher than the total carrying capacity.
Table 32A-7. Total carrying capacity of pastures and meadows, and the share used, by marz, excluding degraded land
| Արագած-ոտն | Արարատ | Արմա-վիր | Գեղարքունիք | Կոտայք | Լոռի | Շիրակ | Սյունիք | Տավուշ | Վայոց ձոր | |
| The share of non-degraded non-woody natural areas, % | 81.8 | 91.2 | 69.7 | 74.2 | 81.7 | 83.7 | 79.7 | 89.4 | 59.4 | 95.7 |
| Capacity of of non-degraded pastures, thousands of LU | 55.0 | 45.9 | 6.0 | 130.4 | 48.2 | 120.3 | 61.8 | 140.8 | 31.1 | 82.1 |
| Capacity of of non-degraded meadows, thousands of LU | 54.6 | 34.6 | 3.1 | 117.7 | 42.3 | 115.4 | 67.1 | 104.6 | 30.2 | 54.3 |
| Number of LU based on ArmStat data, 2023 | 40.6 | 31.9 | 43.7 | 53.9 | 28.0 | 40.7 | 45.1 | 28.2 | 17.3 | 10.3 |
| Share of pasture capacity used, % | 73.9 | 69.4 | 731.2 | 41.3 | 58.1 | 33.8 | 73.0 | 20.0 | 55.8 | 12.5 |
| Share of meadow capacity used, % | 74.5 | 92.2 | 1426.7 | 45.8 | 66.2 | 35.2 | 67.1 | 27.0 | 57.5 | 19.0 |
Figure 32A-8. Share of carrying capacity of pastures and meadows used, %, excluding degraded land.
Հղումներ
International Finance Corporation. (2017). Cheese Production and Export Supply Chain: Armenia. Washington, DC: World Bank Group/IFC. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/856631517565616040/pdf/1-2-2018-19-12-0-ArmeniaCheeseExportENG.pdf.
Tovmasyan, G. (2020). Manual on improvement of degraded natural grazing lands (pastures and grasslands). Yerevan: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, ECOserve Environmental Programme. https://mineconomy.am/media/11657/GIZ-Degradation_eng.pdf
Tovmasyan, G. (2015). Manual for Monitoring of Pastures, Armenia. Yerevan: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Sustainable Management of Biodiversity, South Caucasus Programme. ISBN 978-9939-1-0132-3. https://biodivers-southcaucasus.org/uploads/files/GIZ%20WP%20eng%20.pdf
Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (Armstat). (2023). Environment and natural resources in the Republic of Armenia for 2022: And time series of indexes, 2018–2022 (Edition 25). Section 2. Land Improvement. Yerevan. https://armstat.am/file/article/eco_book_2022_00.pdf
Government of the Republic of Armenia. (2011, April 14). On approving the procedure for the use of pastures and hayfields in the Republic of Armenia (Government Decision No. 389-N). ARLIS — Armenian Legal Information System. (Signed April 21, 2011; effective May 5, 2011; Official Gazette: 2011-05-04/25(828), Art. 534).https://www.arlis.am/DocumentView.aspx?DocID=67394
Government of the Republic of Armenia. (2023, 27 Feb). UNCCD National Report 2022 — Armenia (country report submitted under the 2022 UNCCD reporting cycle). United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. https://www.unccd.int/our-work-impact/country-profiles/armenia/country-report/2022; The map is available at https://data.unccd.int/land-degradation?grouping=SDG&country=ARM
