Romania’s environment minister participates in afforestation campaign in central Moldova

The expansion and protection of forests is a shared priority for Moldova and Romania, and cooperation between the two states can play a decisive role in achieving the environmental goals set for the coming years. Romania’s Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu has made statements to this effect, during the event on the launch of the afforestation campaign held in Sculeni settlement, central Moldova, on the banks of the Prut River.

The event marked the start of this spring planting works and brought together officials from both countries, forestry experts, representatives of local authorities, and volunteers. The choice of Sculeni as the location for launching the campaign has strong symbolic significance, as it is a meeting point between the two states and a suitable place to send a joint message of responsibility towards nature.

Diana Buzoianu: Forests Are a Treasure Without Borders

In her speech, Romania’s Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu stressed that forests were an essential resource for the health of the environment and of people, and that protecting and expanding them must become a priority for both countries.

The Romanian official said that joint afforestation initiatives showed that environmental protection does not stop at borders and that cooperation between neighboring states is essential for lasting results.

“This is a very ambitious initiative, but we are ambitious because we all understand that without forests, without protecting this national treasure we have – which, in fact, has no borders – we cannot have a healthy life and a healthy natural environment. That is why, we fully understand the importance of forests in Moldova and Romania and we are working to protect them and to increase their area, so that we have more and more forests on both banks of the Prut,” said Diana Buzoianu.

The Romanian minister thanked the authorities of Moldova for the invitation to take part in the event and expressed her wish that such joint actions continue in the coming years.

“Thank you very much for the invitation, and I am looking forward to undertaking more such actions together. It is important to continue these projects and to show that we can build a greener future together,” added the Bucharest official.

Gheorghe Hajder: The Target – 145,000 Hectares of Forest

For his part, the Environment Minister of Moldova Gheorghe Hajder highlighted the scale of the national afforestation programme and the importance of regional cooperation for its implementation.

According to the minister, Moldova faces a difficult but achievable mission: to expand and rehabilitate approximately 145,000 hectares of forest in the coming years.

“We have a complicated, but not impossible mission. The most important thing is that we have a starting point, and we will continue until the programme for the rehabilitation and expansion of forests is fully completed. This means that we have 145,000 hectares to afforest in the coming years. It is an ambitious goal, but together we will certainly achieve it,” said Gheorghe Hajder.

The minister thanked his Romanian counterpart for her support and involvement in this initiative and emphasized that the partnership between the two states ensured the continuity of afforestation programmes.

“I want to thank once again my colleague, Diana Buzoianu, for being with us. This means that what we are doing today will have continuity, and this will certainly not be the only edition. We will continue these actions in the years to come,” the minister noted.

A Joint Effort for a Greener Future

The campaign launched in Sculeni is part of the national afforestation programme, through which the authorities aim to significantly expand the forest fund of Moldova, currently one of the lowest in Europe.

By involving authorities from both countries, forestry experts, and volunteers, the initiative conveys a clear message: protecting nature and combating climate change are objectives that can be achieved only through cooperation and shared responsibility.

The planting actions organized along the banks of the Prut thus symbolize not only an environmental project, but also a bridge of cooperation between Moldova and Romania, built around a common cause – protecting forests and the ecological future of the region.

Photo: Mihai Vengher