After several years of poor collaboration between the Government and the civil society and the influence of political parties that divided the Moldovan society on ethnic principles, the time for a new reality has come in line with the European values. The National Platform offered such an example by targeting an environmental issue which was usually overlooked by the authorities. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, the Agency for Interethnic Relations and with the participation of civil servants and representatives of all major national minorities in Moldova, the NP helped restore the protective strip of one of the main rivers in Moldova – Raut, by planting 4000 trees on its banks. Thus, the civil society and central authorities came together to unite people from different regions and of different backgrounds to fight a critical environmental problem that can leave Moldova without water in just 15 years.
Ina Coșeru, Chairwoman of the National Environment Center: “In Moldova, the river protection strips degraded and now we are in danger of losing the country water supply. The protection strips should protect the rivers from any sources of pollution. The Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and the Environment reacted positively to our request to restore the protection strips on the Răut River here in Orhei. We planted willow, poplar, hawthorn, mulberry, the latter being a protection for willow so that it is not destroyed by cows and sheep from the nearby villages. I hope protection strips will be planted along all the rivers in the country. If we want to have a lot of water in the country, we need forests because the current afforestation of the country of 10% will leave us without water in 10-15 years. ”
Iuliana Cantaragiu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and the Environment: “The river protection strips play an extremely important role in preventing the river banks from overflowing; they protect from pollution and maintain the quantity of water in the river. Now we set the goal of restoring them. I am very pleased that the state institutions are teaming up with civil society and promoting tree planting. I greet all the representatives of the civil society who came out with us and the National Platform of the Civil Society Forum from the Eastern Partnership and thank you for helping us to plant this strip.”
Nicolae Rădița, Director of the Agency for Interethnic Relations: “We represent the national minorities of Moldova and we came to plant trees in order to help prevent climate change. We are not indifferent to the existing problems and by planting these trees we hope to change things for the better and provide a better future for our children.”
Rodica Frecauțanu, Director of Caroma Nord NGO: “I hope that the Mitoc village to which this land belongs will protect the trees we’ve planted today so they will last. I plan to come to visit and see how my trees grow.”
Fiedor Chirovici, Secretary of the Ialpug River Basin Committee: “We welcome the organization of such events. Four representatives of our organization came to Orhei from faraway Gagauzia to contribute to this noble cause. In Gagauzia we face similar problems regarding the Ialpug River. We plant trees but they don’t grow on salty soil. Therefore, this year we intend to tackle the problem scientifically – will bring in fertile soil, thus increasing the survival rate of the seedlings.”
Tamara Ababii, Chairwoman of the Moldovan League of Polish Women: “I have always dreamed of planting trees and today my dream has been fulfilled. The Polish Women’s League of Moldova brought its volunteers, including men and together we established a good working algorithm, so we worked quickly. We already planted about 100 seedlings.”
Karl Luganov, civic activist, representative of animal protection organizations: “We believe that animals should live in nature and that we must take care of the environment in order to create good conditions for both humans and animals.”
