A total of up to 60 million BGN will be provided by the Operational Program “Environment 2014 – 2020” (OPE) to improve the conservation status of forest natural habitats through afforestation. The program will also support the development of ecosystem services provided by forests through the application of silvicultural practices inside and outside Natura 2000 protected areas.

The measure is a step towards the actual implementation of the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov for planting 100 million trees in Bulgaria by 2030. Thus, Bulgaria joins the European Commission’s campaign to plant 3 billion trees by 2030.

During the Forest Week, the Managing Authority of OPE held a series of meetings with representatives of all state forest enterprises with the Ministry of Agriculture, which are potential beneficiaries of the procedure. The possibility and the necessary activities to launch the initiative swuftly and bring it to successful implementation by the end of 2023 were discussed.

The new measure to improve the conservation status of forest natural habitats through afforestation is set under Priority Axis 3 “Natura 2000 and Biodiversity”. It received support by the OPE Monitoring Committee in a meeting on March 24 this year, attended by representatives of the European Commission.

The Council of Ministers is about to approve the inclusion of the new measure in the Operational Program “Environment 2014 – 2020”. The proposal to amend the program will then be sent to the European Commission for approval.

More on the “3 billion trees by 2030” initiative can be found on the website of the European Commission.