Dr. Alexander DUNCHEV, independent expert on environmental policies
In October 2026, Armenia - a country with exceptionally rich nature, rare species and unique landscapes - will host COP17 - the largest international United Nations (UN) forum dedicated to biodiversity conservation.
But behind these loud names and beautiful facade lies Armenia's toxic legacy, which is rarely spoken about openly: the tailings ponds left behind by decades of mining. Located in one of the most seismic regions of Europe and Asia, poorly monitored and insufficiently maintained, they pose a serious threat not only to ecosystems and biodiversity, but also to human health.
What are tailings ponds?
Unfortunately, the word itself is only known to specialists and people directly affected by their toxic waste. These facilities seem far from everyday life, but in fact they are directly connected to the water, air and soil on which human health and survival depend. Tailings ponds are artificial reservoirs in which waste from mining operations accumulates - a poisonous mixture of heavy metals, cyanides and sulfides, which, if leaked, can enter rivers, groundwater and soil. There are over twenty such sites in Armenia.
Lessons from previous disasters
There are already precedents in European history when tailings dam accidents turn into regional tragedies. In 1998, the rupture of the dam wall at the Los Frailes mine in Spain released millions of cubic meters of toxic sludge into the Guadiamar River valley. The wave of poisonous mud flooded farmland, destroyed many of the local fish and birds, and left behind dozens of kilometers of dead land. The impact also affected Doñana - the largest national natural park on the European continent and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just two years later, in 2000, a similar disaster occurred in Romania. The Baia Mare gold mine leaked more than 100,000 cubic meters of cyanide-contaminated water. The poison flow reached the Somes and Tisza rivers, killing fish along a 400-kilometer stretch and leaving millions of people in Hungary and Serbia without drinking water. At the time, the accident was called “Europe's biggest environmental disaster since Chernobyl“.
These cases could be more of an exception. But international observers emphasize that tailings dam accidents happen regularly and their number is not decreasing. The Earthworks organization defines the chain of disasters in recent decades as evidence of systemic failures and weaknesses: outdated structures, lack of control and chronic underfunding. A recent Buildings report notes that tailings dams remain “one of the most environmentally vulnerable parts of the global industry.”
The realities of Armenia
Armenia fits into this worrying picture particularly starkly. Many of its tailings dams are a legacy of the Soviet era, when environmental standards were minimal. A report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe explicitly states: all of these sites are located in a seismic zone, and earthquakes, landslides and seasonal floods greatly increase the risk of accidents. Meanwhile, monitoring is patchy, equipment is outdated, and systematic inspections are often lacking.
According to the World Bank, tailings dams and abandoned mine dumps in Armenia are a "significant source of pollution," and weak institutional oversight only exacerbates environmental and social risks. Unlike the EU, where Directive 2006/21/EC is in effect with independent monitoring, contingency funds, and contingency plans in place, Armenia has no public central registry of tailings dams. Data is scattered, and local residents often don't even know what threats these sites pose to their villages and towns.
For example, the Nakhatak tailings dam, established in 1967 in northern Armenia, with an area equal to 24 football fields, has long been a concern for environmentalists: it is located close to settlements and rivers that feed local farms. In the event of an accident, the consequences will be immediate and irreversible.
In the Lori region of Armenia, the Tegut tailings dam operates alongside a large-scale copper mine. Local residents complain about the pollution of rivers and soil, and scientists have registered a threat to the biodiversity of the surrounding forests. Lori has always been known for its unique natural resources, but now its rivers risk becoming carriers of toxins.
The most dangerous site in Armenia, according to environmentalists, is the Artsvanik tailings dam in the south of the country. The dam collects millions of tons of waste from the Zangezur copper-molybdenum plant. Ecologists from the Armenian Ecological Front claim that under the dam wall “biodiversity is practically absent“: the water is saturated with heavy metals, and flora and fauna have been destroyed.
Also of concern is the situation in the Ararat Valley, where, according to experts, over 15 million cubic meters of waste containing cyanides have accumulated. This region is the heart of Armenian agriculture. Fruits and grapes are grown here, including for export abroad. But elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead are recorded in local soils.
Under threat: human health and the survival of fauna
For Armenia, as well as for the entire South Caucasus region, biodiversity is a strategic asset. Rare species live here: Armenian mouflon, Caucasian leopard, endemic species of trout. The preservation of this wealth depends on the purity of water and sustainable ecosystems. A possible toxic accident on the territory of Armenia would have serious consequences for the entire region.
The potential threats threaten not only the nature of the republic. Arsenic, lead, cyanides accumulate in the tailings ponds - substances that easily penetrate into groundwater and then into water supply systems. Their prolonged impact already leads to an increase in oncological diseases, neurological problems and deterioration of children's health.
A study by DAMAST emphasizes: in the absence of modern systematic monitoring and emergency response plans in Armenia, the consequences of a possible accident will be sudden and devastating, and the population will be extremely vulnerable. And this is not an exaggeration - in other countries, tailings dam accidents have forced entire villages to relocate.
On the eve of COP17: challenges and doubts
In a year, when the key global ecology forum COP17 will be held in Yerevan, delegates will discuss the protection of forests, the preservation of rare animal species and the restoration of ecosystems. But outside the walls of the conference halls of the Armenian capital, dozens of reservoirs with toxic waste will remain - and a single accident in them could render all discussions about biodiversity meaningless.
The lack of systematic control over waste and the high risks to nature and human health are present. And this raises the important question: to what extent is the world ready to match its grandiose declarations of biodiversity conservation with the real challenges on the ground?