Project Detail

Revival of Lake Sevan ecosystem assisted by innovative underwater technology

Lake Sevan is the largest body of water in Armenia and the South Caucasus. The Lake is home to 6 species of fish, all of which are endangered, while there are more than 250 species of vertebrates (48 are protected), about 150 species of invertebrates and about 1600 plants in the basin of the lake.
There are many abandoned fishing nets and traps at the bottom of Lake Sevan. Although these nets and traps are not in use, they continue to trap and kill fish, crawfish, etc. The decaying remnants of flora and fauna consume oxygen during decomposition, creating anaerobic conditions at the bottom of the lake. This is detrimental for endemic species, such as Sevan trout that spawn only in areas with oxygen-rich water at the depth of 25?30 m.
The project aims to clean the bottom of Lake Sevan of abandoned traps, fishing nets and other litter, and recycle the retrieved nylon fishing nets into marketable products through employing technical equipment to systematically scan the lakebed, which will increase the capacity and efficiency of the cleaning efforts. A boat-towed scanning sonar and underwater remotely operating vehicle (ROV) and drones will be operated to locate the abandoned nets, traps and other litter. Volunteer qualified scuba divers will then undertake dives in those areas to retrieve the litter. The mapping and cleaning activities, as well as design, production and marketing of recycled products, will be implemented with the active help and participation of the local community. Local youth will be also involved in robotics, aiming to build, program and operate the surface sonar and underwater drones. The project plans recycling the retrieved nylon fishing nets and engaging and educating the local community, mostly women to produce and market artisan artwork and souvenirs to be sold to visitors and tourists.

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

ARMDIVING DIVERS CLUB NGO

Country:

Armenia

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP7 ?Y2 (Jul 21-Jun 22)

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 17,800.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 58,400.00

Project Number:

ARM/SGP/OP7/Y2/CORE/BD/21/03

Start Date:

8/2021

End Date:

11/2023

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

In the course of the project, knowledge and expertise will be acquired to operate sophisticated equipment - surface sonar and underwater remotely-operated vehicle, while scanning vast areas of the bottom of lake Sevan. The gained technical expertise and knowledge can be useful for underwater archeology and geology; RA NAS Institutes of Geology and of Hydroecology and Ichthyology; survey of flora of Lake Sevan for Sevan National Park, especially in the recently flooded areas; and the RA Ministries of Environment and Emergency Situations. The project will also enable gaining expertise needed for underwater engineering and construction, so far lacking in Armenia. Moreover, the systematic scanning of the bottom of lake Sevan will produce detailed maps of the lakebed lacking hitherto. Finally, the members of the local community, adults and youth, will acquire knowledge and skills to produce and market fashionable items and to construct, program and operate surface and underwater drones.

Policy Impact

It is expected that the project activities will contribute to the national policy and programs aimed at cleaning the shallow coastal areas. Moreover, the project plans to collaborate with the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of NAS of RA and with the RA Ministry of Environment to provide them periodically with various samples of water and visibility characterization in Sevan, which is important for water resource management. The project is closely related to EU4SEVAN project and may provide surveys of decaying flora in recently flooded areas of Lake Sevan. The project may also have impact on underwater archeology and geology, while the gained experience and know-how can be useful for underwater engineering and construction, as well as to the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

N/A

Planning gef grant

N/A

Planning non gef grant

N/A

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The local fishermen will be actively involved in the mapping and cleaning activities: their knowledge and expertise will be utilized in navigating the lake, towing the sonar and transporting the ROV, setting the buoys, transporting the divers and the collected garbage with their boats. They will be compensated for their efforts and use of their boats, while simultaneously leaning to appreciate the importance of protecting Sevan?s ecology and thereby refrain from uncontrolled exploitation of the lake?s natural resources in the future. Members of the local community, mostly women, will be trained by Made artisans to design, produce and market stylish products and souvenirs from recycled raw material. They will thus be able to earn a living and provide for themselves through sustainable practices.

Linkages gef projects

The project is closely related to EU4SEVAN project and we will provide surveys of decaying flora in recently flooded areas of Lake Sevan.

Policy Influence

The project is supported by the RA Ministry of Environment and Sevan National Park authorities, who will greatly benefit from the project activities - lakebed mapping and cleaning, surface and underwater survey of flora and fauna of Sevan. This, in turn, will serve as an input, and will strongly influence the future policies of RA Government and local authorities concerning the ecology, conservation and fishery at Sevan National Park.

Gender Focus

The project targets both men and women of the local community. The local fisherman, mostly men, will be actively involved in all aspects of the project dealing with the systematic mapping of the lake bottom, locating garbage concentration areas and setting up buoys, transporting and assisting divers and retrieving and transporting the litter lifted from the lake bottom. The local women, who are mostly unemployed or underemployed, will be trained by the MADE artisan platform to design, produce and market trendy products and souvenirs from the discarded nylon fishing nets, using their embroidery and knitting skills.

Project sustainability

The project will enhance local capacity to survey large areas of Lake Sevan and clean it of underwater litter, train the local community to recycle some of this litter and produce and market stylish products, and educate local youth in technology and robotics. The impact of these measures will be significant and long lasting: the mapping and cleaning activities will continue long after the project completion. Members of the local community trained to design, produce and market stylish products will be able to provide for themselves through sustainable practices. Finally, the local fisherman, through help and collaboration in the cleaning efforts, will learn to appreciate the importance of protecting Sevan?s ecology and refrain from uncontrolled exploitation of the lake?s natural resources in the future. Clearly, not all of the trash polluting the bottom of the huge lake will be collected during the project time frame. But the acquired capacity and expertise will be used after the project completion to continue the cleaning activities, with active community participation, for many years to come. This project will serve as a catalyst in transforming people?s mindsets regarding environmental responsibility in a socially acceptable manner.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The project will organize seminars and workshops to educate the youth and adults on the importance of ecology and conservation. The invited scientists and academics and host visitors, including prominent divers, will give popular presentations of the current state of ecology of Lake Sevan, and present the best examples and practice from around the World. The project will actively use social media to present the implemented work to the public and promote the upcycled products. With the assistance of the ArmDiving volunteer members working in the IT sector and having experience in digital advertising, the project will also run media campaigns to popularize garbage collection and disposal events and promote recycled products.

Replication of project activities

The systematic mapping of the bottom of lake Sevan using innovative technology to locate garbage followed by its retrieval, are amenable to replication, both in the Sevan region (which is too large to be fully cleaned by a single organization as ours) and in other regions or Armenia where there are smaller lakes and water reservoirs. The other activities of the project, namely the involvement of the MADE artisan platform in designing, producing and marketing recycled products, and youth education in robotics and IT at Armath engineering laboratories, are the product of replication of the best practices in Armenia. The success of these activities will help their further spread and adaptation throughout the region.

Capacity - Building Component

This project conforms to the GEF SGP Country Programme Strategy: Conservation of Biodiversity (primary) and Chemicals and Waste (secondary). The grantee will procure and operate modern, highly efficient technical equipment - sonar and underwater ROV - and acquire skills and expertise to operate it for systematic mapping of the lakebed and locating areas with large garbage concentration. This will strongly increase the capacity and efficiency of the cleaning efforts, significantly improving the lake ecology already during the project span. Members of the local community, mostly women, will be trained by Made artisans to design, produce and market stylish products from recycled raw material.

Notable Community Participation

To instill a culture of appreciation towards natural environment and education in technology, the project will encourage local children to learn robotics and to build, program and operate surface and underwater drones. To that end, the project will acquire all the necessary components for amateur surface and underwater drones, and partner with the robotics children club in the city of Sevan operating under Armath engineering laboratories educational program. During the 2 year span of the project, about 30 youth aged 10-18 will be trained.

Project Results

The project will produce the following results:

? Scanning the lake bed and creating maps of areas with large garbage concentration: 50 km2/year area is scanned (total 100 km2) and 10 locations with at least 100 kg garbage concentration identified.
? Cleaning the lake bed: 2,500 kg/year of litter (total 5000 kg), including abandoned traps and fishing nets, is collected.
? Training youth to construct, program and operate surface and underwater drones: about 30 children are trained at Armath (Sevan) lab to construct and operate 2 boats with autonomous navigation and 2 underwater drones.
? Training local communities to produce upcycled products: Six teams of 12 community members (about 70 adults) are trained by MADE artisans. At least 25% of recovered material is recycled and marketable items are produced.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Hectares of globally significant biodiversity area protected or sustainably managed by project 10000

Empowerment

Number of women participated / involved in SGP project 35

Livehood

Number of individuals (gender diaggregated) who have benefited* from SGP project 100

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