A part of the degraded pastures in Orhei National Park will be restored. Therefore, mayors of 12 municipalities of the Orhei National Park signed grant agreements for projects aimed at restoring unproductive pastures on 35 sectors with a total area of 472 hectares. The total amount of grants provided in the framework of the Clima-East project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is €185,110. The in-kind contributions of the communities are estimated at €177,000, IPN reports, quoting a press release of UNDP.

“This project supported by the European Union aims at restoring one of the most important natural areas in the country – the Orhei National Park.  It will help local people to respond to the challenge of adaption and mitigation of climate change and is part of larger EU initiative across the region”, said Aneil Singh, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Moldova.

“A better management of natural resources and harnessing their potential contributes to improving people’s welfare. Over 5,200 families will improve their living conditions as a result of these projects,” said Nicola Harrington-Buhay, UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova.

The 12 projects envisage restoration of the vegetal cover of degraded pastures by applying mineral fertilizer and over-seeding with highly productive forage species, resistant to climate change.

Orhei National Park covers 33.8 thousand hectares and includes 18 communities in four districts - Orhei, Straseni, Calarasi and Criuleni.

Clima-East Moldova is part of the regional initiative for Eastern Partnership countries. Implemented by UNDP, with the financial support of the European Union, the project contributes to the development and implementation of sustainable management models of natural resources in Moldova which increases ecosystems’ capacity to sequester carbon under pending climate risks, while at the same time retaining biodiversity and economic values.