“Every tree counts,” says singer Pasha Parfeni, who represented Moldova at Eurovision 2012 in Baku and will represent the country again this year in Liverpool, UK. He was one of the seventy volunteers who planted nearly two thousand trees along the Baltata River at the end of March.
Arnika began its fourth year in Moldova by supporting planting trees to protect watercourses from erosion and contribute to the landscape’s ability to retain water. “As a Moldovan musician, I care about the environment in our country. That's why I regularly participate in planting campaigns organized by my friends,” explains singer Parfeni his motivation. “Whether you plant a single tree in your garden or organize a community event, every tree matters. ”
This year's first planting occurred on 12 March in Transnistria along the Zolotaia River in the village of Valea-Adanca. Over two dozen volunteers planted 200 oaks, willows, cherry trees, dogwoods, and viburnums in three stripes. In the river buffer zone, the brigade also removed invasive sycamore trees and planted forest apple trees in their place.
Pasha Parfeni’s song 'The Sun and the Moon' which represents Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023:
Thousands of trees for thousands of Czech crowns
A week later, a second action took place, this time on the right bank of the Dniester, in the village of Bălăbănești along the Baltata River. Here, plantings have been regularly occurring for several years, organized by the local association Parcurile Viitorului (Association of Future Parks), which Arnika supported with a small grant of 50,000 CZK. Petru Vinari, president of the association, says: “Thanks to Arnika's small grants program, we planted 556 poplars, 300 oaks, and 1,000 willows in one day. 70 volunteers helped us.” One of them was the singer Parfeni.
Both of these activities were made possible thanks to the support of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Transition Promotion Programme, under which Arnika and Biotica are implementing a joint ecological project that includes planting green belts and providing small grants to local NGOs or informal associations of active conservationists. In cooperation with the Moldovan environmental organizations Eco-TIRAS and Biotica, we have planted over 45,000 trees since 2020 with the help of more than 1,200 volunteers and members of local associations.
