Representatives of the Ecological Green Party (PVE) say that "forests in the Republic of Moldova are mercilessly plundered due to faulty forest management." At an IPN press conference, the leader of the party, Anatolie Prohniţchi, said that for the last 15-20 years, Moldovan forests have been perceived as a source of enrichment.
According to Anatolie Prohniţchi, political parties in power which appoint their representatives in charge of Moldsilva Agency enrich themselves through clearing forests and selling timber. At the same time, says PVE leader, the salaries of forest rangers are among the lowest in the Republic of Moldova, and the sale of timber is also a source for a more decent living.
Anatolie Prohniţchi argues that in recent years, although there are many afforestation grants, the situation in the field has not improved. And annual tree planting actions are in fact political actions, as no one cares about those land plots after planting.
The PVE leader also maintains that contests for the position of director of Moldsilva Agency are always rigged, and their results are known in advance. Those who are appointed as manager in the field of forestry are always "a party member or a politically affiliated person," says Anatolie Prohniţchi.
The party secretary, Vitalie Marinuţa, said that the Republic of Moldova is a country which aspires to the EU integration, but lags behind in many areas. "It is the poorest state in the region, it has the weakest economy, but also the lowest level of afforestation." According to Vitalie Marinuţa, Chisinau municipality was once considered the greenest city among the former Soviet states, whereas in the last 25 years it has been deprived of nearly two thousand hectares of green spaces.
"Our ancestors left us a clean and healthy environment, what will be our legacy to our descendants?", asked Valeriu Garaba, a party member.
At the request of IPN Press Agency, Moldsilva Agency stated that from 1 January 1999 until 1 August 2018 the afforestation rate of the Republic of Moldova increased by 1.6 percentage points - from 9.6% to 11 ,2%. The surface of the country’s forestry fund is of 423 thousand ha, of which 376 thousand ha are forests.
