Arevik National Park, is one of the four protected national parks of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

. Occupying an area of 344 km², it is located in the southern

Syunik Province Syunik ( hy, Սյունիք, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. It ...

of Armenia.

Fauna

Invertebrates

Among over 150 species of butterflies recorded in the national park, there are several species included in Red Book of Armenia. Those are '' Parnassius mnemosyne'', ''

Parnassius apollo The Apollo or mountain Apollo (''Parnassius apollo''), is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. Etymology The species is named in the classical tradition for the deity Apollo. Subspecies Subspecies include: * ''Parnassius apollo apollo'' L ...

'', ''

Papilio alexanor ''Papilio alexanor'', the Alexanor or southern swallowtail, is a butterfly species in the Papilionidae or swallowtails. The insect has a wingspan of 62–70 mm. It flies from April to July in a single generation, in mountainous regions (170 ...

'', Pontia chloridice, Colias aurorina, '' Polyommatus zarathustra'', and others. Ranges of some endangered species, like '' Polyommatus damonides'', are not covered by the protected area.

Birds

Among over 180 species of birds recorded in the national park, there are number of species included in Red Book of Armenia:

lammergeyer The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate mi ...

griffon vulture The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It may also be known as the Griffon vulture, though it may be used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confused with Rü ...

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

, peregrine falcon, Levant sparrowhawk, woodchat shrike, and others.

Flora

A part of the population of the endangered and rare '' Iris grossheimii'' is located within Park, which allows continual monitoring and protection.

Conservation

There are seven Prime Butterfly Areas (PBA) designated for the region, most of those are at least partly covered by the area of the national park, except Meghri PBA,Butterfly Conservation Armenia: Meghri PBA. http://www.butterfly-conservation-armenia.org/meghri.html which has no national conservation status.

References