“The Leopard Conservation in the Southern Caucasus” project has been implemented in Armenia for more than 15 years, and since 2002, the program’s executives have documented that only 10 leopards have been registered in the territory of Armenia by data obtained through camera traps.
Although zoologists note that it is hard to see that animal in the wild, with sophisticated technological solutions, the leopard’s 3D animation can be “enlivened” with a smartphone.
The initiative was implemented with the support of X-TECH company, which according to the coordinator of the Leopard conservation project in Armenia Dr. Arsen Gasparyan joined the “Leopard Caretakers’ Network” of WWF-Armenia.
According to Arsen Gasparyan, the use of modern information technology gives rise to the effectiveness of the campaign, creating a unique link between human and nature. The goal of the campaign is to unite the broader layers of the society, the international structures, the state and the private sector in order to strengthen the mechanisms of conservation of leopard and its prey species says A. Gasparyan.
WWF-Armenia office has placed the special markers of leopard from the application in the well-known places of Yerevan, protected areas and educational centers so when the ARLOOPA app is downloaded on the smartphone, it would be possible not only to “enliven”, but also to take photos with the leopard and to listen to its voice.
The director of X-TECH Arman Atoyan mentions that the initiative was of interest to them, and it was for the first time that they were involved in wildlife protection. “We tried to help the protection of wildlife by applying information technologies. The initiative also presented in the AR/VR exhibition in the USA several months ago, where the combination of nature protection and information technology has caused great interest, ” he says.
The authors of the initiative point out that this innovative idea aimed at raising public awareness on the threatened species has been a great success.
“Before we made print materials to spread information and to educate the broader layers of the society, today we are able to completely “absorb” the information field through innovative methods.” A. Gasparyan also added that they already have 20,000 scans and at least 100,000 people have been informed and involved in the campaign. This initiative is one of the modern versions of eco-education. Today, information technology is an inseparable part of our lives and can be best served for nature conservation.
This positive experience has received a great response not only in Armenia, but also in other countries.For example, UNDP has presented the snow leopard during the international forum in the Kyrgyzstan by using the same idea. Arman Atoyan says that during the international forum it was mentioned that the author of the initiative was Armenia. “Thanks to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) the initiative has become known in more than 100 countries. In those countries also, they had the opportunity to download the app and to communicate with the virtual leopard, “said Hermine Hakobyan, head of Public Affairs and Public Relations of WWF-Armenia.
WWF-Armenia has been implementing leopard conservation project in Armenia for 15 years, thanks to which, according to Arsen Gasparyan, the leopard has not only returned to Armenia, but also has a positive growth trend. “In order to raise awareness about leopard, the “Caucasian Leopard – the King of the Armenian Mountains” exhibition was opened in the “Yeritasardakan” Metro Station in downtown Yerevan last year. “During the exhibition we have presented the leopard, its habitats and prey species (bezoar goat, Armenian mouflon, etc.), ” Hermine Hakobyan says, adding that they want to raise the awareness of the project to the public:
“Firstly, Armenia is a country where the Caucasian leopard lives together with its prey species and this can serve as a basis for developing eco-tourism in our country. Secondly, IT sector is developing in Armenia every year, and it can be aligned with conservation and prove to the world that it is possible to raise environmental issues in modern formats. Thirdly, Armenia is a country that highlights environmental issues and speaks out about them. This is important for the country’s branding globally and, as I have already mentioned, it is also important in terms of ecotourism development. ”
There are only 500-700 Caucasian leopards in the world, the main population of which lives in Iran, as well as in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. And in order to ensure the implementation of the animal’s conservation, WWF-Armenia has also created a Leopard Caretakers Network, which A. Gasparyan considers as an innovative approach as they are aiming to involve the community’s residents in nature conservation activities. “This gives the residents of the communities a chance to monitor the target species, in this case the leopard and its prey species for a long-term period. Today, there are groups of caretakers in Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces, who visit the areas adjacent to their communities several times a week, where leopards are likely to inhabit and carry out observations, recordings and send them to us ,” says A. Gasparyan.
The leopard caretakers are fully equipped with binoculars, GPS devices, they are able to make photo and video recordings.
Gasparyan notes with satisfaction that the network operates well and they regularly receive data from their caretakers. “By the way, our caretakers not only observe but also take part in the conservation activities. We hope this positive experience will be continuous, and the number of caretakers will increase in the targeted areas, ” he says.
Arman Atoyan mentions that they have suggested to create a virtual “Red Book”, in which they will revive the “living” animals. “It will be unique, it will also lead to the development of tourism, and more people will rush to Armenia to see these virtual species,” he says.
Galust Nanyan