Creative Mountains
Preserving natural and cultural treasures of the Caucasus
Armenian folk group in traditional costumes - photo: Mountainpix/ shutterstock.com
The mountains of Armenia belong to the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot and have an ancient history of culture and land use that has survived into the present. However, modern, profit-oriented land use is increasingly displacing traditional farming practices developed over centuries in harmony with nature. This trend brings many negative consequences for Armenia's already threatened natural diversity.
At the end of 2022, NABU and our NGO partners launched the project "Creative Mountains" in Armenia, as well as in Slovakia and Georgia, as part of the Creative Europe Program (CREA). The aim is to aid and strengthen local actors in their commitment to cultural and sustainable rural development, and to improve their management and institutional capacities. The project will serve as a catalyst for cultural cooperation with local creative workers and artists by organizing appropriate cultural events to extend the tourist season and support livelihoods in the local communities. The unique cultural and natural heritage of the mountain regions will thereby be promoted and preserved from the threat of disappearance, as part of a rich European cultural landscape through modern digital methods and media.
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View of the Tatev Valley in Armenia with the famous long cableway Wings of Tatev - photo: Predrag Milosavljevic/ shutterstock.com
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Armenian folk group in traditional costumes - photo: Mountainpix/ shutterstock.com
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Hot springs by Devil's Bridge in Tatev, Armenia - photo: Ana Flasker/ shutterstock.com
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Tatev Monastery in the mountains of Armenia - photo: Alexey Mashtakov/ shutterstock.com
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Variety of restaurant dishes featuring national Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani cuisine - photo: Deep Mind/ shutterstock.com
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Traditional attire in Vernár, Slovakia - photo: Vladimír Alexa
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Landscape in Slovak Paradise National Park - photo: Yevgeny Mazilov
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Folk music in Vernár, Slovakia - photo: Vladimír Alexa
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Kopanec Meadows in Slovak Paradise National Park - photo: Peter Oleksak
Project facts
Project title
Creative Mountains
Country/Region
Armenia, Slovakia, Georgia. Project regions: Dilijan, Arpa Protected Landscape and Shikahogh State Reserve (Armenia), Slovak Paradise National Park (Slovakia) and Kazbegi (Georgia)
Period
December 2022 - March 2024
Partners (Project development and management)
Machaon International, LAG Kazbegi, NABU branch in Armenia
Associated partners:
Gesäuse National Park (Austria), MAS Straznicko (Czech Republic), Association "Slow Food Tatry" (Slovakia), administration of Vernár village (Slovakia)
Sponsored by / Supported by
Creative Europe Programme (CREA)
With this project we are contributing to the following SDGs
SDG 3, SDG 12, SDG 15, SDG 17
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