Caucasian Red Deer Returns to the Forests of Lori

Posted on May, 23 2025

On May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, nine Caucasian red deer were released into the wild in the forests of Yeghegnut, Lori region. The release was organized by the Armenian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Armenia) and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, as part of the long-term “Reintroduction of the Caucasian Red Deer in Armenia” project.

The ceremony marks the first time that red deer have been reintroduced into Lori region. Previously, two releases were carried out in Dilijan National Park — in 2022 and 2024 — resulting in a total of 13 red deer being reintroduced into nature. With this latest release in Lori, the number of red deer currently living in the wild in Armenia has reached 22.

The reintroduction project began in 2013 and is jointly implemented by WWF-Armenia and the Ministry of Environment. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, through KfW Development Bank, with the support of WWF-Germany and the Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF).

The restoration of the red deer population is carried out through a breeding center located in Dilijan National Park. Deer born there, from previously introduced individuals, are gradually released into the wild. The overall goal of the project is to restore this ecologically important species to the forests ecosystems of Armenia and secure its long-term survival.

Following the release, an official event dedicated to the International Day for Biological Diversity was held at the COAF SMART Center. During the event, Armenia’s progress, vision, and strategies in the field of biodiversity conservation were presented. Special emphasis was placed on Armenia’s role as the host country of the 2026 UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP17.

Opening remarks were delivered by Minister of Environment Hakob Simidyan, Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Françoise Jacob, Director of WWF-Armenia Levon Aghasyan, Head of the department of specially protected areas of nature and biodiversity policy at MoE Voskehat Grigoryan, Acting Director of “ArmForest” SNCO Vigen Chilingaryan, ECF Project Coordinator Armen Shahbazyan, Press Secretary of MoE Ani Hakobyan, and Team Leader of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Component of the Biodiversity and Sustainable Local Development project Karen Manvelyan.

The event also featured presentations on ongoing biodiversity restoration projects implemented in Armenia, as well as new initiatives and future directions for conservation work.

WWF-Armenia extends its sincere gratitude to all individual donors and partner organizations who not only shared this significant milestone on Biodiversity Day, but also continue to support the mission of WWF-Armenia and contribute to the shared path of conservation.

© WWF Armenia