Green Shield: Southern Moldova Needs Careful Reforestation

Southern Moldova is set to host the country's largest reforestation project to date: $47 million, funded mostly through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank. The project, named "Moldova Green Shield," covers the expansion and rehabilitation of forests in the region.

On July 9, ten civil society organizations and independent environmental experts, including ARBORETUM, took part in public consultations and submitted a consolidated position paper with recommendations to the project's authors. The note was sent to the Ministry of Environment, the State Chancellery, the World Bank, the "Moldsilva" Agency, and the Forest Research and Management Institute, under the law on transparency in decision-making.

The signatory organizations are asking that the rehabilitation plan account for the specific character of the southern steppe and the protected habitats it already contains, as well as for the natural species composition. The area targeted by the project includes rare steppe habitats, Emerald Network sites, and Important Bird Areas, alongside species listed in Moldova's Red Book. For this reason, the organizations are demanding that these habitats be mapped and assessed before land selection, not after, and that the project's target area be set based on the results of that mapping.

On species selection, the joint position rejects the use of black locust (already the most widespread species in the country's forest fund, with confirmed invasive behavior), as well as other non-native species such as pine, honey locust, or pagoda tree. Instead, it calls for reforestation to rely exclusively on species from Moldova's spontaneous flora, with a proposal to expand the current list to include hornbeam and elm - native species adapted to drought.

The position of the NGOs and independent experts points toward a well-structured rehabilitation plan that uses every available means to preserve unique habitats, connect forests into corridors, and support biodiversity - including wildlife crossings where roads intersect the area, and prioritizing degraded or abandoned farmland over natural pastures. The organizations also call for developing models to involve the private sector in private forest development, and for clarification on the project's potential impact on the Lower Prut, Lower Dniester, and Bugeac Steppe nature reserves.

On the financial side, the signatories are requesting full transparency on the budget structure. So far, it's only known that of the $47 million, $37 million comes from GEF funds and $10 million is a World Bank loan. The note calls for publishing the breakdown by component, including the amount allocated to habitat mapping and environmental assessment.

Finally, the signatory organizations are calling for a permanent working group with participation from civil society and scientific institutions, with a mandate to review land management plans, as well as for the full publication of the project and the recommendations summary on the particip.gov.md portal.

The recommendations don't oppose reforesting the south. We want the planned interventions to be well weighed and scientifically grounded. The document can be reviewed and co-signed by NGOs and environmental experts.