Last updated: June 2025
The afforestation project implemented in Lețcani, Iași, is part of Romania's national initiative "We Plant Good Deeds" (Refs. 1-7). Launched by the association EcoAssist and carried out on a voluntary basis, the initiative aims to plant forests across the country (Ref. 8). In Lețcani, the young ecologist group TERIS, together with EcoAssist, involved volunteers to plant approximately 10,000 tree saplings provided by the Forestry Directorate of Iași (Refs. 1, 3, 5-7). The trees were planted on a two-hectare terrain prone to landslides, with the goal of mitigating this hazard (Refs. 1, 3, 5-6). While the project directly benefits local citizens at risk of landslides, it also educated volunteers about the importance of forest cover for community safety and biodiversity (Ref. 4).
Volunteers planting saplings
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1153859328032832&set=a.1153858524699579
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Landslides reduction
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Sense of community and community engagement
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Landslides & mudslides
- Environmental Degradation
- Deforestation and forest degradation
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Soil remediation and revegetation, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Strategy, plan or policy development, Development of disaster-risk prevention strategies (e.g.fire management, flood alleviation scheme)
Project objectives
1. Afforestation of degraded and/or undeveloped land through planting several tree species (1,3-5,8).
2. Mitigation of landslides in an area prone to this hazard (1,3,5-6).
3. Raising awareness about the importance of the natural environment that surrounds the community and provide more security to those more prone to be affected by landslides (1,2,3-6)
4. Instilling care towards the natural environment and a sense of community as the volunteers involved will obtain a sense of acknowledgment and responsibility towards their nearest natural environment (2,4).
Implementation activities
1. Selection of location in collaboration with the local municipality and the ecologist groups involved in the action: the lands afforested are devoid of forest vegetation and are prone to or affected by various degradation processes (rain erosion, landslides, salinization, pollution or wind erosion).
2. Provision of trees by the Iași Forestry Directorate.
3. Plantation of trees in undeveloped land to augment tree cover in the country: 2 hectares that are part of an area that frequently faces landslides were reforested with approximately 10,000 ash and oak saplings, through the involvement of the 400 volunteers present at the action.
Volunteers also received the Green Endorsement certificate after the planting or organizing activity, recognized by more than 30 renowned companies (1,2,3,5,6)
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The City Hall of the commune provided the 2 ha of land (4-5).
The Forest Directorate of the region of Iasi provided the tree saplings (1,3-4).
The EcoAssist association was the main coordinator and the legal representative (1,3,6). EcoAssist signed a partnership agreement with the town hall and the Forestry Directorate. Together with the town hall selected the location (4)
TERIS "They young romanian ecologists from Iasi" were the regional coordinators and helped gathering and training volunteers (4).
Several local sponsors including local companies and banks supported financially the action through donations. (3)
Several volunteers (students, pupils, citizens, employees of various companies) where involved in planting the trees (4)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of funding
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Improved resilience against landslides
- Expected improved resilience against landslides
- Environmental quality
- Improved stability of slopes
- Expected improved stability of slopes
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Expected improved social cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Expected increased appreciation for natural spaces
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Plantam Fapte Bune (n.d.). Împădurim la Lețcani. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Plantam Fapte Bune (n.d.). Ne întoarcem la Lețcani pentru noi acțiuni de împădurire. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Ziarul de Iasi (2016). Acțiune de împădurire la Lețcani. 10.000 de puieţi de frasin şi stejar vor fi plantați sâmbătă . Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Swimathon Iasi (n.d.). Swimathon Iasi. Information on Plantam fapte bune in Romania. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Primaria Comunei Letcani (2016). Facebook Post by Major of Letcani. Planting in Tabara de Vara area.. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Plantam Fapte Bune (n.d.). Leţcani, locul în care voluntarii ieşeni au plantat fapte bune. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Plantam Fapte Bune (2017). Raport Anual 2016. Plantam Fapte Bune . Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Plantam Fapte Bune (n.d.). About Plantam Fapte Bune . Accessed on August 2, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Populatia Romaniei (n.d.). Demographics Letcani, Iasi Broad Summary . Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link];
10.
Romanian National Institute of Statistics (n.d.). Population of Romania by age in villages, regions, communes. Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link];
11.
Iasi Municipality (2015). Strategia integrata de dezvoltare urbana Iasi.;
Volunteers planting trees in the area where the NBS is implemented
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1153859734699458&set=a.1153858524699579
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.