Moldova: Soil Conservation (BioCF)
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A degraded site to be reforested |
The Moldova Soil Conservation project is reforesting 19,768 hectares of degraded and eroded state-owned and communal agricultural lands spread over throughout the country. The reforestation proposes to achieve multiple objectives, and in particular to restore degraded lands through improvement in the vegetative cover and sustainably enhance supplies of forest products to local communities. The project was initiated in 2002 with support from the Prototype Carbon Fund. The project uses a mix of indigenous and semi-exotic (naturalized) species depending on site conditions. Around 40 species have been selected, that can be grouped in four different types according to growth characteristics and management requirements: Pinus, Populus, Quercus and Robinia. The group Robinia dominates, representing 88% of all lands reforested. However, this group consists of 7 species (including maple) and not one reforestation site is panted with only one species, and shrubs are also planted to improve floral diversity. Faster growing, naturalized species have been selected first to meet local demands for fuelwood. Additionally, past experience has demonstrated that the use of locally adapted naturalized species offers the best chance for the first stage land reclamation and soil stabilization before the establishment of native species, which require better soil conditions. Reforestation on poor and marginal lands is therefore undertaken with locally adapted non-native species; and secondary plantings will be undertaken later using native species. Native species are planted directly on partially degraded sites when possible.
The project is expected to sequester about 1.07 Mt CO2e by 2012 and about 2.22 Mt CO2e by 2017. Public and community lands have shown significant declines in productivity and have increasingly become susceptible to soil erosion, land slides, and other physiographic limitations, particularly due to lack of investments in the restoration of degraded lands over a long-period. The additional carbon financing enabled overcoming the financial and capacity constraints of the state forest agency and local councils that prevented those investments. The main environmental benefits from these investments will be to halt and prevent the soil erosion, restore the degraded lands and improve their productivity. Several biodiversity benefits are expected from the restoration of habitats of several endangered flora and fauna. The newly forested area will also produce fuelwood, timber and non timber products to meet the needs of rural communities. Additional social benefits include the creation of local employment for both men and women through planting, weeding, tending, thinning, protection, and harvesting of tree species. The active cooperation and involvement of the local councils, who own about half of the land under the project, will ensure sustainable and permanent management of the afforested lands once transferred back to them. Finally, leakage will likely be minimal given that no displacement of economic activities is expected from the implementation of the project.
The Project will be financed and implemented by the National Forest Agency of Moldova (Moldsilva). Moldsilva will establish all plantations and maintain plantations on state-owned land. On communal land, the new forests will be returned to the municipalities under long-term management contracts.
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