On March 30, the Armenian Copper Company held a public hearing to present its program for the exploitation of the Teghut mine. The program includes the destruction of 600 hectares of natural forest, since Armenian Copper plans to open and exploit the copper and molybdenum mines located underneath it. (See also A Black Cloud Over Teghut).

The fate of the Teghut forest in the Lori Marz is dependant on these hearings and on the conclusions of a study by the Ministry of Ecology.

Hakob Sanasaryan, president of the Greens' Union of Armenia, noted that Armenia still had huge reserves of copper and molybdenum at Kajaran, and said that the ore at Teghut should be preserved for the future. "Doesn't the next generation have the right to nature's underground bounty?" he asked.

The mine was discovered back in the 1970s, but the low prices for colored metals on the international market back then did not make the mine lucrative. These prices have increased by four to seven times over the last five years, and exploiting the mine now promises great profits.

This economic program does not inspire ecologists much, as they place a much higher value on this piece of nature, and feel that one copper and molybdenum mine is more than enough for our country at the moment.

The mine at Teghut, located 29 kilometers from Alaverdi, is second in copper and molybdenum reserves only to the mine at Kajaran. Four million of the confirmed seven million tons of copper reserves in Armenia are at Kajaran, with 1.6 at Teghut and another 1.6 in ten other mines.

Kajaran has 600,000 tons of molybdenum and Teghut has 100,000, while all other reserves put together make up 90,000 tons.

The program has caused excitement among the villagers in Teghut, as the mining company has promised 1,000 new jobs. A year ago, the pressure of public opinion saved the Shikahogh reserve (See also A Strategic Road or a Fight Over Oak Trees?, With Help From the Diaspora, Save Shikahogh). In that case, the residents of the area around the Shikahogh reservation were opposed to the planned destruction of the forest and were determined to fight till the end. The residents of Teghut in Lori, however, welcome the industrial plan, despite the potential damage to nature.

Teghut, with its population of 3,000, is the residential area closest to the proposed industrial site. Its soil is poor, which is why most of the village men have gone abroad to make money to support their families. The residents are convinced that industrial development is the sole hope for the village. Harutyun Meliksetyan, head of the village administration, said that villagers regarded their neighbors who were employed during preliminary work regarding the mine in the Teghut forest with envy. Sixty people from this village have already been hired at the mine. "The people who work there are already buying furniture and cars. The difficult conditions over the past 10 years mean that the people of Teghut now care more about making a decent living than about ecological problems," added the village head.

Though the study by the Ministry of Ecology has yet to be concluded, the sound of machines and equipment can already be heard deep in the forest, which suggests some prior agreement with the authorities. By allowing geological exploration in the forest, the government has indirectly voiced its approval of the destruction of the forest and the exploitation of the mine. Over the past seven months, work has been going on to reevaluate the reserves in the Dukanadzor Gorge at Teghut. Thirty-one separate sites have been drilled, and pathways cleared through the forest for transport vehicles. The results of the study permitting, the exploitation of the mine will begin in three or four years. Gagik Arzumanyan, the director of Armenian Copper, insists that the company will do everything that the law required. Moreover, they have gone to the government offering to organize reforestation in any other territory.

Karen Manvelyan, the director of the Armenian office of the World Wildlife Fund, has little confidence in the project. "Very often one thing is presented, but something completely different is done. Of course, reforestation is an option, but I don't consider it efficient. It's not just trees that make up a forest. There are a large number of other plants and animals in that forest, what about them?" Manvelyan asked.

The future of the unique plants and animals in the Teghut forest depends on the conclusions of the ecological study. A green light for the industry might be a death sentence for them. The gray bear would disappear, as would the Mediterranean turtle, chamois, goat, wolf, and fox, all of which are listed in the International Red Book. Rare plants, too, would simply cease to exist.

The Armenia Copper Company plans to use open mining at Teghut. The company rules out using the underground, or closed, method of exploitation, which is less damaging to nature, because it is ten times more expensive. An ore enrichment plant is foreseen adjacent to the mine, and the men behind the project plan to limit its emissions - especially carbon monoxide, nitrous dioxide, and the dust from breaking ore - through filters. However, the plant at Alaverdi, owned by the same company, has continued to release its emissions directly into the atmosphere to this day, poisoning the city population, despite promises to the contrary over the past few years. The management promises practical steps towards this goal if the Teghut project is approved. "After the project is realized, we will make every effort to find a lasting solution to the emissions at Alaverdi. This would include an unorthodox method of emission control," said Armenian Copper director Gagik Arzumanyan. It is not clear what the direct link is between the plant in Alaverdi and the Teghut mine.

A major cause for concern among ecologists is the reservoir where wastes accumulated from decades of use are to be stored. The Kharatadzor Gorge has been chosen as the site for this reservoir. The Shnogh River flows through here, and then joins the Debed. Ecologists are concerned about water pollution, but the men behind the project have given every assurance that the technology chosen would help avoid this, since the water would be used in a closed cycle.

Sahak Arzumanyan, director of the Metallurgical Institute, said that the reservoir would have a capacity of 180 million cubic meters. Responsible for this part of the project, he gave every assurance that any leakage from the reservoir was impossible. The president of the Greens' Union of Armenian was of a different opinion. "We have to assume that the Shnogh River simply does not exist. If it has to flow through the territory of the reservoir, then the water filtering out has to flow into the river."

The project plans to have a double-layered barrier built around the reservoir to prevent the leakage of waste into the environment in case of an accident. The protective layer would be isolated using clay, so that the liquid in the reservoir would not flow into the surroundings. Hakob Sanasaryan had little confidence in that, either. "All right, suppose the barrier were built - how many years would it last? Fifty? A hundred? One day it will crack, and all that waste will flow out, won't it?"

The company has also promised to build eco-tourism sites on the territory it receives.

The Ministry of Ecology has not yet presented its conclusions, but it is already clear that it will be in favor of industry. Will ecologists be able to unite the masses? This is what will determine the outcome of this battle between nature and economic profit.