Governmental Decision No. 72-N validating the Regulation on the procedure for constitution of protected areas.

This Regulation establishes the procedure for constitution of protected areas of all categories in accordance with the following criteria: (a) existence of endangered ecosystems at global, regional or national level; (b) existence of rare or endangered plant or animal species at global, regional or national level; (c) existence of plant (or) animal species registered in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Armenia or in the Red Book of Armenia; (c) existence of ecosystems that play a special role for the existence of animal habitats and migration routes; (d) existence of possible ornithological-botanical areas; (e) existence of rich biodiversity; (f) existence of endemic relict species; (g) existence of wild (virgin) ecosystems not affected by anthropogenic influence; and (g) aesthetic significance of the area (unique landscapes, hot-mineral springs, natural -historical-cultural heritage sites), recreational opportunities, their importance for science (or) education, their inclusion in the system of protected areas or the need to ensure the representation of partially included ecosystems species.