Welcome to Kanach Yerevan

We are an independent, grassroots movement dedicated to bringing professional standards and evidence-based care to Yerevan’s urban canopy, ensuring a cooler and healthier city for everyone.

What we’ve achieved so far

We believe in results over rhetoric. Through data and persistent advocacy, we have:

• Saved mature trees: pressured the city to move away from "clear-cutting" during renovations. Now, the municipality usually retains up to 20% of healthy old trees—a vital first step toward a more sustainable approach.
• Direct care and biodiversity: we fix trees by removing harmful illegal objects—lamps, wires, and signs—while enhancing urban ecology by installing nesting boxes, insect hotels, and planting trees.
• Improved workflows: successfully lobbied for scientific diagnostic tools (resistographs) and helped the municipality identify and resolve technical bottlenecks in internal operational workflows.
• Mapped the canopy: built the city’s first crowdsourced dataset of urban trees. With over 11,000 trees already cataloged, we can finally plan the city's green future based on real data.

Our Mission

We act as an independent watchdog for Yerevan’s urban canopy. We provide the professional standards, monitoring, and legal tools necessary to ensure our trees are treated as essential infrastructure, not disposable assets. We also help residents understand what modern, professional tree care actually looks like.

Who we are

We are a diverse, 100% independent community of people from all ages and backgrounds—architects, researchers, and residents—united by a simple goal: a healthier Yerevan. We are not affiliated with the municipality or any political group. We are an open movement, and there is a place for everyone who cares.

Ways to help

Every contribution, no matter how small, helps our canopy grow.

• Follow our progress: the easiest way to help is to follow us on Instagram and share our stories.
• Know the difference: outdated practices are often justified as "standard maintenance." Read our guidelines to learn how trees should actually be treated, and how to spot the difference between proper care and mutilation.
• Be our eyes: if you see a tree being harmed or improper pruning, use our reporting guides to take a stand.
• Add to the map: help us complete the city’s tree inventory by adding trees in your own neighborhood to our map.

Join the Core Team

If you can dedicate a few hours a week to systemic change, we need your help. We are always looking for "brains and hands"—researchers, observers, photographers, and advocates.

• Join the conversation: our Telegram chat is where the action happens. Join us here.
• Volunteer your skills: check our active roles to see how you can contribute your expertise.

Let's make Yerevan green again, one tree at a time.