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Good practice Imported

Armenia Tree Project's Community Tree Planting Programme — 30 Years of Urban Reforestation in Yerevan

Armenia · Yerevan · See the Armenia profile · See the Yerevan profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 76% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted 140,067 trees at 384 sites across all 12 districts of Yerevan with municipalities, schools and hospitals, an estimated 27,000 tonnes of CO2 captured over the trees' lifetimes.

140,067
Trees planted (Community Tree Planting programme) (1994–2024)
384
Planting sites across Yerevan
~27,000 tonnes CO2
Estimated lifetime CO2 captured
8 million+
National trees planted since founding
17 to 400
Family-run micro-enterprise nurseries growth (2004–2008)
Armenia Tree Project's Community Tree Planting Programme — 30 Years of Urban Reforestation in Yerevan

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Armenia Tree Project (Armenian Assembly of America)
Period
1994-2024 (30 years)
Keywords
urban forestry, reforestation, community engagement

Context

Armenia Tree Project (ATP), founded in 1994 by the Armenian Assembly of America in response to severe deforestation during the energy embargo of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, runs a Community Tree Planting programme across Yerevan.

Objectives

The programme aims to reforest Yerevan district by district in partnership with the municipality, schools, hospitals and community groups, while building local capacity through nurseries and a micro-enterprise model.

Activities

Over 30 years ATP has planted 140,067 trees at 384 sites across all 12 administrative districts of Yerevan, operating four tree nurseries and two environmental education centres with 70–80 staff plus 75–100 seasonal planting workers, and its "Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" micro-enterprise programme grew from 17 family-run nurseries in 2004 to 400 by 2008.

Results

ATP estimates the planted trees will capture close to 27,000 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetimes (roughly 22–31 kg per tree per year), and reports more than 8 million trees planted nationally since its founding.

Conclusions

The evidence base is strongest on verified scale and reach but weaker on ecological outcome: no independent survival-rate study, canopy-cover measurement or biodiversity monitoring specific to the Yerevan plantings was found, and the carbon estimate is ATP's own calculation rather than a third-party verified figure.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — 70–80 staff plus 75–100 seasonal workers across four nurseries and two education centres; no aggregate annual budget given.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Continuously operating since 1994 (30 years).
Staffing & skills
70–80 permanent ATP staff, 75–100 seasonal planting workers, Municipality, school, hospital and community-group partners

Conditions for success

  • Partnership with the Yerevan municipality across all 12 administrative districts
  • Four dedicated tree nurseries and two environmental education centres
  • "Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree" micro-enterprise programme building local nursery capacity

Common failure modes

  • No independent survival-rate, canopy-cover or biodiversity monitoring specific to the Yerevan plantings exists
  • The carbon estimate is ATP's own calculation rather than a third-party verified figure

Where it fits

Governance type
NGO-municipality partnership
Scale
city-wide (all 12 Yerevan districts)
Income level
upper-middle-income

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding Own resources / municipal budget

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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