On November 24, the State Forest Agency Moldsilva held a workshop entitled “Sustainable development of forest and pastoral resources in Moldova” to present the preliminary results achieved throughout the second phase of the ENPI East Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Program (FLEG II) in Moldova.

The initiative, organized in cooperation with the Forest Research and Management Institute (ICAS), the Ecological Society Biotica (an IUCN member), and Agency Amedia, was attended by 50 participants, representatives of local public authorities, forestry enterprises (FE Telenesti and FE Chisinau), NGOs (Biotica and Ecological Movement of Moldova), academic institutions (Agrarian University of Moldova and Institute of Zoology), and mass-media (TV and e-press).

During the workshop, FLEG experts presented both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of the use of forest and pastoral resources in the country. In particular, it was highlighted how these resources represent an important source of revenue and economic development.

According to the recent analysis of the FES in Moldova, in monetary terms, numerous sectors of Moldovan economy benefit from ecosystem services (a major part being from forests), whose value was estimated to be of $68.84 million in 2014.

At the workshop, some communities showed their interest in enhancing measures to manage more effectively the forest and pastoral resources to favour their economic development. An example is the local community of Hîrtop, Cimişlia district, in southern Moldova.

“We are willing to make available 100-150 hectares of degraded land for the implementation of afforestation activities” said Vladimir Medouni, head of the local administration of Hîrtop municipality, “Forest plantations would bring considerable benefits to the community, as we could use the harvested wood to help the most vulnerable inhabitants”.

This initiative represented a good opportunity to reinforce the fruitful collaboration between FLEG and its partners.

“All data and information presented today are based on the activities carried out within the ENPI FLEG Program, which Moldsilva has been strongly supporting” said Petru Rotaru, FLEG Focal Point for Moldova and Chief of the Department of Forestry, Hunting and Protected Areas at Moldsilva, “Moldsilva is the main beneficiary of the results of FLEG, and data obtained from FLEG analyses have been taken into great consideration in designing policy and strategies for a sustainable development of Moldovan forest resources”.

“These types of interactive workshops, where the public can learn more about forest management and see what the FLEG Program has helped highlight, in concrete terms, is very important for stakeholder engagement” said Andrei Galeliuk, Director of Agency Amedia – a FLEG communication and media consultant in Moldova. “These workshops also play a pivotal role to establish and nurture the network of contacts in the country. Here is an example: during today’s coffee break FLEG experts were invited by the representatives of the Agrarian University of Moldova to hold a workshop for their students to present the Program’s activities. Amedia will surely support FLEG in organizing this event”.

For more information, contact Mr. Lozan at aurel.lozan@enpi-fleg.org