There are indeed many forests and windbreaks, mostly planted with acacia, in Moldova – more than 100 thousand ha. Nevertheless, this does not threaten biodiversity, as this species is still a minority. At the same time, according to the environmental legislation of the Republic of Moldova and EU regulations, acacia is not an invasive species. There is also no reason to consider it alien, as the presence of Acacia in Moldovan forests has been mentioned in written sources since the 18th century.
According to “Moldsilva”, reforestation works in the period from fall 2022 to spring 2025 were carried out on an area of more than 10 thousand hectares. Of this area, 88% was planted with acacia as the main species and 12% with other forest species such as oak, ash, poplar, walnut and alder. According to the results of the work this fall, the share of the area planted with species other than acacia will reach 20%. The management of the agency notes that the main goal of the state reforestation program is, first of all, to expand the area of forests, and only then – to take care of the diversity of its structure.
Over the decade, 145,000 hectares of forest have been planted and reforested in the country. Nevertheless, this is a relatively low rate of reforestation. In the European Union, the average forest area in relation to the territory is 37.7%, while in the Republic of Moldova it barely reaches 11%.
Earlier, Logos Press reported that several dozens of non-governmental organizations and researchers signed a petition demanding that the Moldovan authorities stop using acacia as the main species in the reforestation process.
