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Moldova

Moldovan forests are dominated by broadleaf species – mainly oaks and acacias, and cover approximately 11% of the country. Although the forest sector represented only 0.27% of Moldovan GDP in 2010, forests actually play a far more important role in the economy, especially for the inhabitants of rural communities who heavily depend on forest resources to meet household needs and supplement their incomes.
Children in jackets in field with pails in hands

Photo: IUCN

IUCN has become a key partner with forest sector stakeholders and institutions. In particular, IUCN has been working towards the development of the following activities:

  • developing a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of Forest Ecosystem Services beneficial to the Moldovan population from an economic, social, and environmental perspective;
  • undertaking a comparative analysis between national forest legislation and the international legal framework to evaluate the level of efficiency of forest resource management in Moldova and provide valuable outputs to decision-makers in order to improve forest management and governance systems;
  • Initiatives to raise awareness among the general public on the importance of forest biodiversity and the risks of illegal activities through public events and   sharing knowledge
  • Collaboration with Agency Moldsilva to improve transparency and build constructive dialogue with forest stakeholders through various activities such as the revamping of the website and the creation of an interactive platform between public officials and journalists

Successes

Moldova: Forest Dependency in a Nutshell

“Walnuts alone represent 53% share of forest-related income, but this is not the sole interesting fact uncovered through our Forest Dependency Study. Another remarkable outcome we found is the heavy reliance of the local population on fuelwood as their primary source of energy, mainly for heating and cooking.” Aurel Lozan, FLEG Country Program Coordinator for IUCN Moldova

The Beech Festival: A New Moldovan Tradition

“The aim of this initiative is to raise public awareness not only on the importance of local forests, symbolized by the European beech tree, in peoples’ lives but also on the richness of the Reserve’s biodiversity. In addition, the festival is an excellent opportunity for locals to gather, promote their traditions, sell their products made with forest resources, and to discuss how to manage and protect their natural heritage.” Aurel Lozan, FLEG II Country Program Coordinator for IUCN in Moldova

Communications and Transparency: Building Bridges between Moldsilva and Moldovan Citizens

“FLEG studies on topics such as wood consumption, illegal logging, and timber traceability, constitute the primary source of most journal articles in the sector. As a result of FLEG’s inputs, public awareness on these subjects has increased significantly.” Viorica Caciuc, Moldsilva Press Officer

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