Specially protected natural areas, including green zones, cannot be privately owned, says the Prosecutor General

ArmInfo. On October 29, 2026, RA Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan participated in a panel discussion organized within the framework of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17), dedicated to issues ranging from the legal interpretation of environmental principles to their practical application and ensuring effective environmental protection.

According to the press service of the supervisory authority, during the discussions, the Prosecutor General presented the Prosecutor's Office's experience in ensuring environmental justice and touched upon issues of returning illegally expropriated lands of environmental significance, eliminating gaps in legislation and law enforcement that lead to environmental damage, as well as the prosecutor's office's interventions aimed at protecting wildlife and biodiversity.

Referring to the work carried out by the Prosecutor's Office to protect state and public interests, Anna Vardapetyan emphasized the importance of protecting specially protected natural areas, including green zones. "An important principle underlying our activities is that specially protected natural areas, including green zones, cannot be private property; they belong to the current and future generations of Armenia," the Prosecutor General noted, adding that as a result of satisfying the demands of the Prosecutor's Office and prosecutorial intervention, state and public ownership rights to lands of environmental significance have been restored in various regions of Armenia and in Yerevan.

In particular, in Yerevan, in the area adjacent to the TV tower, six land plots with a total area of 7.5 hectares, the value of which is estimated at no less than 9 million 215 thousand US dollars, have been returned to the ownership of the Republic of Armenia. A 67-hectare nature conservation land plot located within the Dilijan National Park, worth no less than 12 million 436 thousand US dollars, has been returned to the ownership of the Dilijan Municipality. In the Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions, approximately 5,330 hectares of land of environmental significance, worth at least $167,347,000, have been returned to the ownership of the Republic of Armenia. As a result of measures taken under the prosecutor's influence since December 2025, approximately 12 hectares of recreational land have been demolished from illegal structures. Forty-one land plots worth at least $1,696,000 have been returned to the ownership and use of the Republic of Armenia.

The Prosecutor General emphasized that the Prosecutor's Office's institutional role in environmental protection is not limited to protecting state and public interests. The Prosecutor's Office also pays attention to gaps in legislation that could lead to environmental damage. As an example, Anna Vardapetyan presented a study conducted by the Prosecutor's Office following the events that occurred as a result of the flooding of the Debed River in May 2024. The study revealed gaps in the legal regulation of land use and construction in the coastal areas of the Debed and Aghstev rivers. The prosecutor's office requested the government take the necessary measures to approve a watershed management plan and compile a list of lands located in Land Fund.

"The goal of the initiative was not only to provide a legal assessment of the events that occurred, but also to help reduce the risks of similar disasters in the future," Anna Vardapetyan emphasized. Referring to legislative norms regarding land use in national parks, she also presented the prosecutor's office's proposals aimed at preventing the risks of misuse of land in specially protected natural areas and damage to natural landscapes.

"Expanding opportunities for economic activity in specially protected natural areas should not lead to misuse of land, distortion of natural landscapes, and, as a result, damage to public interests," the Prosecutor General emphasized.

Anna Vardapetyan also touched on a specific example of prosecutorial intervention aimed at protecting wildlife. "Three brown bears, listed in the Red Book and illegally kept in the courtyard of an apartment building in a residential area of Yerevan, were transferred on March 19, 2025, as a result of the prosecutor's office's intervention within the framework of a criminal case, to the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets in the village of Urtsadzor in the Vedi community, where they were handed over to responsible environmental organizations for further care. This example demonstrates that the legal process in protecting wildlife cannot be limited to simply registering a violation or initiating a criminal case. "It is also necessary to ensure the safe transportation, protection, and subsequent proper care of animals," Anna Vardapetyan noted.

Referring to the prosecutor's office's international cooperation in combating violations of environmental legislation, the Prosecutor General highlighted the fact that the prosecutor's office has joined the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE) as an observer.

In conclusion, Anna Vardapetyan emphasized that environmental justice requires consistent work at all stages of the legal process: from the interpretation of environmental principles to the investigation of violations, judicial assessment, the application of legal remedies, and the prevention of further harm. "The rule of law and environmental protection are not separate goals. And our responsibility is to ensure real and visible results for the protection of nature, the biosphere, biodiversity, and the human genome," Anna Vardapetyan noted.