Strengthening Armenia’s Forest Monitoring Through Digital Innovation

Strengthening Armenia’s Forest Monitoring Through Digital Innovation

15/05/2026

Armenia, Yerevan 15 May, 2026 – As part of the project “Forest Resilience of Armenia: Enhancing Adaptation and Rural Green Growth Through Mitigation,” implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a specialized training mission was conducted in Armenia from 10 to 15 May 2026.

The mission aimed to strengthen national capacities in modern forest monitoring by introducing the Open Foris Arena platform and Arena Mobile application. Together, these tools support a fully digital workflow for forest inventory data collection, management, validation and analysis. The training combined an in-depth technical introduction to the platform and its data flow processes in Yerevan with practical field exercises in the forests of Hrazdan, Kotayk Region.

By transitioning to an integrated digital workflow, the initiative seeks to improve data quality and generate more accurate forest statistics, providing a stronger evidence base for informed decision-making, sustainable forest management and enhanced climate resilience in Armenia’s forests.

“Arena Mobile fundamentally transforms how we ensure data quality,” said Mondal Falgoonee Kumar, National Forest Inventory Analyst at FAO Headquarters. “With built-in validation rules, the application instantly flags errors in the field—even without an internet connection. This allows data collectors to make corrections on the spot, ensuring that data managers and analysts receive cleaner, better-prepared data for timely analysis.”

The training brought together key national stakeholders, including specialists from the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center State Non-Commercial Organization and Hayantar State Non-Commercial Organization. These institutions will use the tools for field data collection and management within the framework of Armenia’s National Forest Assessment and Monitoring System. Participants were introduced to the core functions of Arena, including digital survey access, mobile data entry, data validation, error and warning management, record submission, data backup and user access administration.

The training also demonstrated how collected data can be queried, filtered, exported and visualized through tables, charts and maps, including the use of satellite imagery layers for verification and analysis.

“Digital tools such as Open Foris Arena and Arena Mobile allow field teams to collect, validate and manage forest inventory data in a more systematic way. This is an important step toward building a reliable National Forest Inventory system for Armenia,” said Radim Adolt, FAO International Forest Monitoring Specialist.

Atom Grigoryan, Deputy Director of the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center SNCO, noted that adopting Arena is essential for the organization’s daily work. He emphasized that the digital solutions and quality-control methods introduced during the training will help improve the monitoring of forest dynamics and enable more precise environmental data management.

This capacity-building mission marks another important milestone in FAO’s ongoing efforts to promote green growth and strengthen environmental resilience in Armenia through innovation and partnership.

“The National Forest Inventory is a critical step toward evidence-based forest management in Armenia. By introducing digital tools such as Arena Mobile, we are strengthening data quality, improving fieldwork efficiency and supporting more informed decisions for climate-resilient forestry,” emphasized Gulmira Urmanbetova, FAO International Project Coordinator.

Looking ahead, the knowledge and practical skills gained during the five-day mission will support the establishment of a robust and sustainable National Forest Inventory system in Armenia. Through the application of digital solutions in field data collection and management, FAO and its national partners are strengthening the country’s capacity for evidence-based forest monitoring, climate-resilient planning and sustainable rural green growth.