Romania exceeded PNRR target for afforestation, reforestation, and new urban forests

Romania’s Environment Ministry has exceeded the targets assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for afforestation, reforestation, urban forests and the development of capacities for producing forest reproductive material, according to a press release.

At the national level, 20,716 hectares of afforested and reforested land have final acceptance reports and have been verified by the Forest Guards, compared with the PNRR target of 18,000 hectares. As such, the degree of achievement of this target is over 115%.

At the same time, 13 hectares of urban forests have been created, which means the full achievement of the assumed target, and 109 nurseries have been completed, 19 more than the target of 90 provided for in the PNRR.

“These are concrete results, obtained at a sustained pace, which contribute to protecting the soil, cleaner air and increasing resilience to drought, heatwaves and floods. I thank the beneficiaries, the Forest Guards and the PNRR team in the ministry for their mobilization and the effort made in completing these projects,” said environment minister Diana Buzoianu.

The PNRR allocation for the national afforestation and reforestation campaign, including urban forests, amounted to approximately EUR 307 million. Another EUR 50 million was allocated for the development of modern capacities for producing forest reproductive material.

“The investments were addressed to a wide range of public and private beneficiaries: local administrative units, natural and legal persons, universities and associations. The establishment of new forests, the reforestation of areas affected by disasters, urban forests and protective forest belts located around localities, between agricultural lands or along communication routes were financed,” the Ministry explained.

The largest afforested areas were created in Dolj County (3,116.7 ha), Constanța (2,275.2 ha), Galați (1,547 ha), and Botoșani (1,420 ha).

(Photo source: Ministerul Mediului on Facebook)