Humans and Forests 

We are connected to forests. They provide various goods and services, which all we depend on every day. Besides timber/wood and non-timber forest products (NTFPs), they provide vital functions - without forests we wouldn't have air to breathe, clean water in our rivers and springs, and healthy environment to sustain our own health. If we don't take care of forests now, there'll be much less available in the future.

Though Moldova's forest resources are limited, the wood consumption analysis (ENPI FLEG & Moldsilva, 2011) says that 80% of local communities use wood and other alternative agricultural biomass as primary energy source. Another recent study on Forest dependence of local communities in Moldova (ENPI FLEG, 2014) confirms the high dependency of rural population on forest products. According to this study, the main source of income is subsistence agriculture which makes up circa 64% to local communities (for comparison, 74% of Moldova's land is meant for agricultural purposes), where the forests provide up to 18% of income to local communities (taking into account that circa 13% is the actual forest cover).

Even though we will continue to harvest forests (for fuelwood, timber, game, fruits, berries etc.), we will act as careful users as much as possible not to disturb those forests and their components (plants, animals, soil). We harvest wood and other goods to sustain our life, but we also should be aware that harvesting can often come into as hard on its structure and components.

You can do your part to help us and forests coexist in harmony! You can act following the 5R system - reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse and reform! You can keep forests clean whatever you do in forests. Whenever you can, rationalize your actions in using various things (e.g., reduce waste, don't use too much plastic bags, refuse buying extra packaging in shops, use food waste for compost etc.), so you would reduce the pressure on forests and make you own life healthier. Eventually, every little thing counts.

We all, humans and other great biodiversity around us (plants, fungi, animals), make up a part of our common world. Forests, which cover a third of terrestrial land nowadays, play a significant role to meet our needs and sustain life. We inherited forests from our generations and only we are responsible for their present to be able to deliver them to our future generation.