Illegal deforestation in Armenia is 70-80 times as much as official data, Inga Zarafyan, Head of EcoLur NGO, says in an interview to ArmInfo.
She says that the control over deforestation in Armenia is selective. "This means that there are certain relations between the supervisory bodies and those engaged in illegal deforestation. If the sides come to an agreement, no control is carried out", said Zarafyan.
The expert stressed that the real indices of illegal deforestation do not coincide with the official data.
Earlier experts expressed their concern over felling of the trees growing on the slopes, because the felling can provoke mud-and-stone landslides, which can cause soil erosion and desertification.
According to GIZ, the forestry in Armenia makes up 332,333 hectares, or 11.1%. Official data say that a total of 2031 trees were illegally cut in 2013 versus 1860 in 2012.