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Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve hit by massive fire on August 12, will take dozens of years to regenerate, environmentalist Karine Danielyan told a news conference on Wednesday.

“The fire evidently caused great damages both to the flora and the fauna [of the forest]. I am aware that juniper trees have also been affected. Those small animals that could not escape the fire must be harmed as well,” the expert said, meantime adding that it is still early to make any assessments on the inflicted damages.

Karine Danielyan noted that Khosrov Forest State Reserve does not have only national or regional significance, but also an international one in terms of its biodiversity.

“More than half of the flora in the country – 1800 quality plant species grow there. The forest also has the richest collection of birds and mammals, including such endemic animals as polar bear and Armenian mouflon,” she noted.

In the end, the environmentalist expressed hope Armenia has enough resources to repair the damages caused to the forest.