Sofia, Bulgaria
City population: 1201209
Duration: 2017 – 2017
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 7000 m2
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

3000 trees were planted on 7 decares of land by 500 volunteers in park Zapaden on Earth day (22 April) in 2017. The initiative was supported by the Municipality of Sofia, and had the aim of making the city cleaner, greener, and more beautiful. The initiative also compensated for the illegal logging which had taken place in the park. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3)

3000 tree planting event at Zapaden Park
https://www.dnes.bg/sofia/2017/04/22/stolichani-zasadiha-3-000-dyrveta-v-zapaden-park.338868,image5#photo

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
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Combatting crime and corruption

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Other

Project objectives

Help make Sofia greener, more beautiful, and reduce air pollution (Ref. 2; Ref. 3)

Implementation activities

Help make Sofia greener, more beautiful, and reduce air pollution (Ref. 2; Ref. 3). Mobilizing volunteers by providing them with planting tools and materials to plant trees and clean the park.(Ref. 1; Ref. 2) The initiative also compensated for the illegal logging which had taken place in the park. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3)

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
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The municipality partnered up with the citizen initiative 'When we Become 100 000 - we will Plant a Forest', in order to mobilize volunteers and provide them with materials and tools to plant the trees (Ref. 2; Ref. 3).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Other

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

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Other

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

Ref. 1. Source link (2017). Доброволци засаждат 3000 дръвчета в Западен парк в София. [online] available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020]
Ref. 2. Facebook (2017). КОГАТО СТАНЕМ 100 000 - ЩЕ ПОСАДИМ ГОРА. [online] available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020]
Ref. 3. Когато станем 100 000 - ще посадим гора (2017). София засажда 3 000 дървета с доброволци. [online] available at: Source link [Accessed 3 September 2020]
Ref. 4. Когато станем 100 000 - ще посадим гора (2017). Минали събития. [online] available at: Source link (accessed 27 July 2017). [Accessed 3 September 2020]
3000 tree planting event at Zapaden Park
https://www.dnes.bg/sofia/2017/04/22/stolichani-zasadiha-3-000-dyrveta-v-zapaden-park.338868,image5#photo