Country Comments

The Republic of Armenia is a small landlocked country between the Caspian and Baltic seas. The UN Development Program reports a high level of rural poverty, as well as over-exploitation of natural resources resulting in loss of habitats and species, pollution and chemical contamination, degradation of forest, water and other ecosystems and their functionality. While the environmental movement is gaining momentum in Armenia, the grassroots movement is not yet strong enough to have a major impact on policy and development issues. Despite having an unsustainable population level almost three times greater than what can be supported by the country's renewable resources, Armenia's government aims to increase the country’s population by a third over the next two decades, with a goal of 4 million citizens.