YERVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to share that from April 14-17, Dr. Arsen Gasparyan, assistant professor at the AUA Zaven P. and Sonia Akian College of Science and Engineering and biodiversity expert at the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, participated in the international conference on Fungal Conservation in Europe: Evidence to Action, which took place in Uppsala, Sweden. The conference brought together leading experts to discuss the role of fungi in biodiversity research, conservation, and policy.
Dr. Gasparyan presented work on lichen and fungal conservation in Armenia. He delivered a poster presentation focusing on lichen and fungal species proposed for inclusion in the Red Data Book of Armenia, an important step toward strengthening national conservation priorities. Twenty-eight species of lichens and four species of fungi have been preliminarily assessed following the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.
Ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2026, Dr. Gasparian has also joined the Fungal Conservation Pledge, launched by the governments of the United Kingdom and Chile during CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia. This milestone reflects a sustained and collaborative effort involving Armenia’s Ministry of Environment, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Fungi Foundation, and AUA. By committing to the pledge, Armenia demonstrates leadership in recognizing fungi as a fundamental component of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and climate resilience.
Although fungi have long been underrepresented in international conservation policy, there is growing recognition that effective biodiversity conservation must fully integrate “funga” alongside “flora” and “fauna.” The Armenian and English versions of the pledge are available here.
Dr. Gasparyan acknowledges the support from the JACE Foundation’s Research Innovation Grant Program at AUA, which has contributed to advancing his research in fungal conservation.
The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia (AUA), promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity protection and conservation, greening the built environment, sustainable energy, as well as information technology and the environment. Visit http://ace.aua.am.
