Moldsilva agency to implement WB-funded project on adaptation to climate change

Chisinau, 20 June /MOLDPRES/- The World Bank Board of Directors has recently approved a 27.2 million dollar-grant to Moldova for the Adaptation to Climate Change Project. It will provide assistance for the protection of agricultural households, forests and pastures against climate change in specific areas, as well as for strengthening national systems for managing natural disasters.

The activities proposed by the project were considered at a meeting of representatives of the bank with the leadership of the Moldsilva agency. World Bank Senior Forestry Specialist Tuukka Castren informed that “Moldsilva” will implement compartments related to afforestation and rehabilitation of degraded lands, planting forest protection strips, creating national seed and genetics centre, producing climate resistant seedlings, including in containers with a capacity of 1 million pieces.

For his part, director general of the Moldsilva agency Ion Haralampov noted that the activities planned under this project will boost cooperation between forest enterprises and local public authorities to rehabilitate communal pastures, protection strips and degraded lands.

The World Bank-funded project will back the national action plan for implementation of the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy by 2020.

During this period, the programme sees investments for rehabilitation of 750 hectares of protection strips, planning 560 ha of new protection strips on agricultural land, planning 320 ha of protection strips along the river basins, rehabilitation (through afforestation/reforestation) of 1,500 ha of degraded land and restoration of 1,000 ha of damaged pastures.

(Reporter L. Grubîi, editor M. Jantovan)