Agent Green launches its vision for Romania’s forests

Bucharest, 6 July 2020 – Agent Green today launches its vision for Romania’s forests. The document includes a holistic diagnosis of the current situation and concrete objectives that can safeguard national security, the health of the population and biodiversity, resolve the infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission, and combat climate change and natural hazards.

“We developed this uncompromising analysis and ambitious vision together with natural-science and forestry specialists involved in administration and research. They are people of goodwill who should guide nature’s destiny rather than be guided themselves. They fear for their careers and safety, which is why we chose for our organisation alone to take responsibility for the document and to hand it personally to the environment minister today,” said Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.

Read the vision here

Romania’s forests are in decline, and forestry is regressing. Current forest administration and research are underperforming and deeply compromised by political interference. Illegal logging is out of control, while the authorities detect only 1% of it. More wood is burned annually than is legally felled, and high-capacity plants for non-intensive wood processing have been built, placing unprecedented stress on forests. Illegal logging has not even been slowed, despite the efforts of some state institutions and public pressure. There is no dedicated environmental justice system, and current legislation does not penalise those who draw up forest management plans when they incorrectly classify forests in inappropriate functional categories, resulting in their degradation or impairment.

The area of forests receiving tending operations has decreased to the detriment of areas aggressively logged and incompletely regenerated or regenerated with species unsuited to natural forest types. The current Forest Code causes the degradation of many forests affected by climate change, while the ecological reconstruction of structurally degraded forests stagnates. Technical rules are designed for an industry owned by the state, yet the state now owns less than half the country’s forests. Forests occupy only 29% of the country’s area, with a major discrepancy from the optimal afforestation percentage. Afforestation outside the forest estate is now at its lowest level in post-war history. Taking the average of 157.5 hectares of new forests established over the past 2 years, the optimal forest-cover figure of 40% would be reached in 16577 years. Nurseries currently lack enough planting material to supply the seedlings needed to reach the optimal afforestation percentage.

As a result of excessive logging in recent decades, most forests are under 80 years old, below their felling ages. There is a major shortage of forested areas on the plains and hills. Consequently, citizens’ quality of life and the potential of forests to combat climatic, hydrological and geomorphological hazards have declined significantly, and biodiversity has been affected. Every year, 20755 citizens resident in Romania die because of pollution, including 15126 because of air pollution.

Agent Green’s vision is aligned with the European Commission’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 and entails mandatory systemic reform to protect national security, urgently improve Romania’s forest heritage and restore ecosystem services, ensuring the social, ecological and economic conditions for the country’s development. Restoring professionalism and removing politics from forest administration, as well as turning it into a state administration, are essential. Forests must be tended exclusively according to close-to-nature principles capable of ensuring national security, economic and social sustainability and biodiversity conservation, as well as increasing Romanian forests’ contribution to mitigating climate change and various natural disasters. At least 15% of the forested area must gradually be taken out of forestry use by 2030, becoming strictly protected forests serving biodiversity conservation and as a carbon reservoir to combat climate change. The remaining forests will tend gradually to reach and permanently maintain at least 70% of the potential volume specific to their respective composition. A crucial role is played by realising the potential for sustainable economic growth through ecotourism, starting from the premise that Romania still possesses a natural heritage unmatched in Europe.

Read the vision here