YEREVAN, Armenia — From September 19 to 26, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), hosted the Forest Restoration and Climate Change in Armenia (FORACCA) Autumn School 2026, bringing together 35 students from AUA and other universities for a week of field-based and interdisciplinary learning on forests, biodiversity, and nature-based solutions.
The AUA Acopian Center and WSL organized the Autumn School as part of their ongoing collaboration through the FORACCA initiative. The FORACCA project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is implemented by WSL in collaboration with Zoï Environment Network and the Forest Alliance of Armenia.
The Autumn School combined field visits, expert lectures, discussions, and practical activities, providing students with opportunities to connect theoretical scientific knowledge on biodiversity with field observations and learning.
The participants visited the Armenia Tree Project (ATP) Mirak Nursery and Ohanian Educational Center in Margahovit, Lori Region. In addition, the group visited the Caucasian Red Deer Reintroduction Center in Dilijan National Park and the Shen NGO’s agroforestry site. My Forest Armenia also offered a visiting opportunity to their sites. In the visits, the participants explored forest conservation, restoration, biodiversity, and nature-based approaches to environmental management.
The final field day took place at Hrazdan Gorge in Yerevan, where participants took part in a Bioblitz, an intensive biodiversity observation activity designed to document species within a defined area. Students used iNaturalist to identify as many species as possible over 2 hours. Overall, 1120 observations were documented, spanning 255 different species. All the observations from the Bioblitz event can be accessed from iNaturalist here.
The Autumn School also featured a series of in-person and online lectures delivered by experts from the AUA Acopian Center and WSL. The sessions covered topics including forest conservation and restoration, agroforestry, urban biodiversity, local biodiversity action plans, citizen science, nature-based solutions, and blue-green infrastructure. Bringing together international research perspectives and local expertise enabled students to explore how different environmental approaches can be understood and applied within the Armenian context.
The AUA Acopian Center and WSL will continue their collaboration through further educational and research activities, creating additional opportunities for students and researchers to engage with emerging environmental challenges and contribute to sustainable natural resource management in Armenia.
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.
