The natural resources of Moldova are in danger, while the environmental problems experienced by the country are mainly caused by the irrational use of these resources, said representatives of the Ecologist Movement of Moldova, who warn the authorities about the country’s ecological security.

The Movement’s head Alecu Renita, in a news conference at IPN on February 12, said the leasing out of forests is one of the environmental issues faced by Moldova. As the forests are rented by persons who pursue only economic interests, the forests reached a deplorable state. However, after the mass media raised this issue, the World Bank approved a forest policy note on Moldova and the Government is to amend the relevant regulations and ban the leasing of forests.

Alecu Renita noted that even if Moldova has the smallest wooded area on the European continent, it exports the largest share of raw wood to Europe. The Ecologist Movement supports the Ministry of Environment’s initiative to temporarily stop the export of raw wood given that the smuggling of wood is thus favored. The Movement is not yet against the export of manufactured wood products.

According to the Ecologist Movement, another ecological problem derives from the management of waste in the municipality of Chisinau. Alecu Renita said the waste dump located on the outskirts of Chisinau is the largest in Europe. More than 1 million tonnes of waste are stored there. The decaying of this waste could cause serious problems to the city.

In this connection, the Movement’s representatives consider that a solution is to use the landfill in Tantareni, which has a greater capacity. Alecu Renita said that this landfill should be yet laid out according to the modern sanitary standards so that it does not become an ecological danger for the local community.