Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the South Caucasus Mountains

not be seen as a weakness, especially in terms of adaptation, as with proper planning and implementation, existing climate change adaptation challenges can be addressed by national adaptation plans/strategies and/or by the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into sectoral and development policies. Therefore, the development of specific laws (i.e. “superior” legal acts) may not be necessary to address this issue. However, to strengthen the focus on vulnerability and to bring climate adaptation to greater prominence on the political agenda it would be beneficial to integrate certain principles and climate change priorities into the existing sectoral laws, such as those on water, biodiversity, soil protection, renewable energy, forestry, etc. Armenia The main environmental laws of Armenia are the Laws on Nature Protection and Nature Utilization Payments and the Law on Atmospheric Air Protection (Ecolex 1994). The recent amendment to the Law on Atmospheric Air Protection prohibits burning of vegetable residues in areas with dry vegetation, including pastures and grasslands, as well as in agricultural, forested, and protected areas. While initially aimed at restoring and storing organic carbon in soil and ground vegetation, the amendment, among others, provides regulations to protect the soil and soil layer from erosion and

Meadow outside Stepanavan, Armenia

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