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CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL-NOOSPHERE STUDIES THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA |
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| Address: | 375025 RA, Yerevan c., Abovian Str. – 68 |
| Telephone: | (+374-1) 56-93-31 |
| Fax: | (+374-1) 58-02-54 |
| E-mail: | ecocentr@sci.am |
| Home page: | http://www.sci.am |
| Director: | Dr. Armen K. Saghatelyan, Doctor of geo-mineralogical sciences, Full Member of International Academy of Ecology and Life Protection Sciences and Russian Academy of Natural Sciences |
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The Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies was founded by special governmental decree in 1989 as a principal research organization carrying out fundamental and applied studies in the field of ecology and environmental protection. The Ecocenter unifies a number of laboratories and individual researchers sophisticated in the field of ecological studies and generating interesting ideas.
At present, the Ecocenter conducts 9 budgetary-supported scientific programs and numbers 77 employees, 50 of them being researchers (7 doctors of sciences and 14 candidates of sciences ).
Fields of research Multidisciplinary investigations carried out at the Ecocenter are oriented at the complex assess-ment of the territory ecological state and elaboration of scientific-methodical fundamentals of ecologi-cal expertise, optimization of nature management processes. The structure of the Ecocenter comprises a number of problem-oriented laboratories and research teams conducting investigations in the following areas:
Applied works Along with topics determined by state financial support, the Ecocenter has implemented a number of large-scale contract-based works: 1. Design works “A territorial complex scheme of Yerevan nature conservation”, “Geochemical properties of natu-ral and anthropogenic landscapes in Armenia” - a part of “Territorial complex scheme of nature con-servation in Armenia”, providing nature conservation activities (parts “Nature conservation” of Gen-eral Urban Development Plans for Yerevan and Kamo and international project for Arouch town), “Cadaster of natural monuments of Armenia”, dendroprojects on planting of trees and gardens in the earthquake zone of Spitak and Vanadzor (former Kirovakan) towns, “The characteristics of ecological conditions of Abovian c.”, “Green plantation state assessment in Etchmiadzin town”, “Development of the map of Yerevan’s atmosphere pollution from permanent sources”. 2. Environmental impact assessment Elaboration of ecological passports for enterprises, emission source inventory, development of the projects on maximum permissible atmospheric emissions, development of projects on maximum per-missible effluents discharge. The works were carried out in enterprises of machine–building, metal-lurgic, light industrial, electro technical and building construction branches. 3. Ecologically oriented technologies Highly economical methods of soil detoxication have been worked out on the base of natural sor-bents; ecologically safe slow-acting complex fertilizers on the basis of Noyemberian ceolitis have also been obtained. Investigations on geochemical methods of ore deposit forecasting as the most ecological technol-ogy in geoprospecting branch are being carried out. We have a 20-year experience and good results in discovering blind ore bodies on the flanges and deep horizons of gold, copper, polymetals and other ore deposits. The computer technologies are of wide use in the Ecocenter. In particular, special programs on atmosphere pollution distribution modeling, ecogeochemical mapping, geochemical methods of ore formation forecasting, have been developed. Publications In the period of 1989-2002 over 349 scientific papers including 3 monographs and 3 proceedings were published by the Ecocenter`s researchers. In 1993, the Republic conference: “Fundamental prob-lems of planting trees and gardens in urban areas” was held to develop the strategy of recreational re-forestation. Since 1994 the Ecocenter publishes annual annotated scientific transactions “Problems of ecology and environmental protection”. In 1996 a Republic scientific conference “Environmental con-tamination with heavy metals” with abstracts publication was organized and held. In 1997 the first Ecological Explanatory Dictionary in the Armenian language containing approximately 2500 terms with their English and Russian equivalents was designed and published. In 2001, the second edition of the Ecological Explanatory Dictionary was published. In 2000 and 2001 the youth conferences “Fu-ture of ecological science in Armenia” were organized whose materials have been published as pro-ceedings. International activities The researchers take an active part in International scientific conferences; lately they have submit-ted a number of reports to different forums. In co-operation with toxicological laboratory of West-Allis Hospital (USA) a joint research pro-gram “Environmental heavy metals” has been implemented. Since 2002 in the framework of cooperative scientific activities in the area of bioenergetics the Ecocenter has been collaborating with the UK ADAS Nutritional Sciences Research Unit (the British Council grants, expert visit NATO “Science for Peace”). In co-operation with the American Society of Armenian Scientists and Engineers, a project “En-ergetic forests of Armenia” has been developed. In cooperation with Danish Technological Institute, the studies on lead contents in gasoline have been conducted. Within the framework of the NATO “Science for Peace” program a grant has been awarded for performing a regional project “The South Caucasus cooperative river Monitoring” Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the USA” supported also by OSCE (participating countries Armenia, Azertbaijan, Georgia, the USA, Belgium, Norway) In cooperation with WS Atkins Environment Firm (UK) Ecocenter participates in Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority’s project “Mapping and GIS of radioactive pollution in case of emer-gency on NPP site”. In 2002, a NFSAT-CRDF grant was awarded for the project “Paleoecology and paleoradioecol-ogy in Lake Sevan (Armenia)” (California University, USA). The Ecocenter’s researchers take an active in EuroMAB programs. They participated as experts in CRDF, INTAS programs execution as well as in a number of UN programs. The Ecocenter is recognized worldwide. In particular, the information about it is included in “Di-rectory of Ecology and Conservation in Russia” (Edinburgh 1998), “World of Learning”, 1999 (Lon-don), European Directory of Environment and Health Organisation (UNED-UK 1999) and The Envi-ronment Encyclopedia and Directory 2001 (London). In 2002 the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Foundation awarded a grant to the Ecocenter on the topic “Using insects of the Ararat Valley in bioindication” (Hokkaido University, Japan). Since 1999 the Ecocenter is Collective Member of the Russian Ecological Academy. In July, 2002, in the framework of International Risk Assessment Network the Ecocenter held an International workshop “Ecotoxicological risk assessment of environmental pollution in the Caucasus” supported by the NFSAT Foundation grant.Other activities The staff participated in elaboration of “Draft of entrails of the RA”, “Law on atmospheric air preservation”, “Law on state ecological expertise”. The Ecocenter co-operates with a number of higher educational institutions. The researchers de-liver lectures at the Yerevan State University, Yerevan Engineering University, Yerevan Pedagogical Institute, the Yerevan branch of the Moscow Modern Humanitarian University. In 1997 a special training course “The problems of ecology” was prepared and conducted at the NGO Center for principals of NGOs . The Ecocenter provides opportunities for senior students of ecological departments of biological and geographical faculties of the Yerevan State University and Ecological department of the Yerevan branch of the Moscow Ecological-Politological University to carry out their practice and prepare diploma projects. Currently at the Ecocenter 10 post-graduate students are involved in preparation of their PhD dis-sertations. The Ecocenter co-operates with a number of national environmental NGOs: Women’s Ecological Assembly, Youth Ecological Group, the Nature Conservation Society of Armenia and so on. |
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