The Arpa Protected Landscape is located in Vayots Dzor Province, in the Noravank Gorge. It covers more than 3,000 hectares and includes land belonging to the settlements of Areni and Khachik. It was formerly called the Gnishik Protected Landscape: it was established in 2013 and renamed the Arpa Protected Landscape in 2019.
Its history began back in 2011, when the communities of Khachik, Gnishik and Areni decided to create an organisation that would deal not only with nature conservation but also with scientific, educational and social programmes. Later, the management system of the protected area took shape as part of this initiative.
The area includes arid open woodland, semi-desert and other natural ecosystems, as well as man-made and traditionally used landscapes. Its conservation goals include protecting rare and endemic plant and animal species and their natural habitats.
The Caucasian leopard, bezoar goat, Armenian mouflon, brown bear and Eurasian lynx live here. The landscape also serves as an ecological corridor for them. Animal movements are monitored with camera traps, and the area is protected by the landscape’s rangers.
