The European Union jointly with the World Bank help Moldova green its landscapes

Forests play a crucial role in ensuring our health and the health of our planet. They clean the water, purify the air, protect the soil, and capture carbon to fight climate change. Forests nurture habitats for wildlife and plant diversity to ensure viable ecosystems, which underpin human, economic, and environmental well-being. On International Day of Forests, the world celebrates the achievements made so far in greening our landscapes and acknowledge work yet to be done.

The European Union recognises the role of forests in building national wealth and the well-being of people and the environment. Within the EU-funded EU4Environment Programme, the World Bank-led components support the governments of the EU’s Eastern Partner countries to strengthen sustainable management of natural habitats, reduce biodiversity loss and land degradation, expand a shared network of protected areas, and promote community-led action in forest conservation.

In Moldova, like elsewhere, forests are part of the country’s natural capital, harbouring 80% of the country’s biological diversity. The forests have also high economic importance. In fact, the value of ecosystem services provided by the country’s forests to the tourism, agriculture, water or other sectors is estimated at around $70 million annually. Yet, forests in Moldova are among the most endangered in Europe due to excessive exploitation, unauthorized logging, and inefficient forest management practices that are unable to impede human encroachment. The new program is also propelling Moldova towards meeting its commitments under the Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) signed with the EU in 2014. The commitments include activating structural reforms and harmonizing the country’s legislation with the EU acquis communautaire. Under the terms of the EU Association Agreement, and now as an EU candidate country, Moldova has pledged to achieve certain environmental and economic indicators to ensure healthy forests in the long term.

In addition to international commitments and initiatives related to forests and land use, the NFERP will help Moldova align its goals of restoring its forests and sustainably managing its ecosystems with in line with the European Green Deal — EU’s strategy to achieve its climate targets, including reaching climate neutrality by 2050. The new EU forest strategy for 2030 is now part of the European Green Deal’s flagship initiatives. This strategy underscores the crucial role forests and forest-based value chains play in achieving sustainable and climate-neutral economy by 2050 while protecting and strengthening resilience of ecosystems.