My initial project (the 1st RSG) was focused on research and conservation of large flower poppies of Armenia. After finishing the project work I continued studies on the target group of poppies during my stay in the UK in 2003, where I attended International Plant Conservation Techniques Course at the Royal Botanic Gardens KEW and also the next year, when I returned to England under the Cambridge Colleges Hospitality Scheme for Central and Eastern European Scholars for academic visit to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
The poppy related herbarium and literature data have been studied in the following institutions and collections: Royal Botanic Gardens KEW and the Millenium Seed Bank (Wakehurst place), Cambridge University Plant Sciences Department and Botanic Garden, Linnean Society, Natural History Museum (London), Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Plant Sciences Department and Botanic Garden of the Cambridge University and other. I had chance to meet colleagues for consultation and discussion on certain topic related questions.
My application for the second RSG was approved after my return from the UK, where I had done some preliminary research on that topic and made contacts for further collaboration on the 2RSG project’s topic. The 2nd RSG and the booster both contributed to selection of the Important Plant Areas in Armenia with the focus on plant species/communities conservation.
With Dr. Tim Upson - CUBG superintendent in Cory Library working on oriental poppy data, 2004.
Impressed by the one of the oldest plane trees in the grove – a huge triple-trunk specimen. Plane Grove, Syunik District, Armenia.
Teaching field botany to the National Parks’ staff members. Dilijan National Park, Armenia.
Maria Fayvush (team member) and me on the fieldwork at Lake Sevan, Armenia.
With rare specimen of Papaver orientale – the largest one ever found, Central Armenia, Geghama Mnt.Range
The contributions of the RSGs I received were the followings:
- Sensible herbarium material collected during the fieldwork, plant communities’ descriptions made in the field, new populations of rare and endemic species discovered as well as a number of plant communities of scientific interest and conservation concern;
- Awareness raising activities for individuals, involved in plant monitoring and conservation at local level;
- A number of contacts (local inhabitants and local stakeholders, NGO members etc) established in different regions of republic, which is a very important factor in my current and further conservation activities.
- Publications (booklets, posters) were spread widely among interested parties and those, involved in conservation and monitoring, sent to international colleagues, represented on International conferences (Valencia, 2004, Yerevan 2008), research results are published as scientific papers etc. Reports on my RSG related activities were published in articles in the “OnCourse” newsletter (issue8, Dec2004 and issue 11, March 2008) of the RBGKEW. Some results were also used in plant conservation campaign “Wake up Call for Plants in Europe” organized by Planta Europa and involved a number of member countries including Armenia.
- As far as I am involved in ecotourism development in the country, I use some of the results in the botany tour guidance etc.
My post RSG efforts were put into an ambitious project proposal (Plane Grove ecosystem in Armenia: promotion of conservation, recovery and further management) that was raised on the basis of previous RSG and submitted for a Whitley Award 2008, but, unfortunately was not approved. Currently I am developing a few proposals involving the data obtained due to RSGs and involving contacts established during the work on my RSG projects. I am going to focus in community-based programs.