Press release
Bucharest, December 14, 2020
The project will ensure the restoration of six hectares of forest and provide sources of income for local communities involved in planting.
The ZENTIVA Group, the largest producer and supplier of generic medicines in Romania, will contribute 20,000 trees to the restoration of an old clear-cut on the Vâlsan Valley in the Făgăraș Mountains. Carried out through Conservation Carpathia, the project will help restore the area affected by severe exploitation over several hectares. The financing of the project by ZENTIVA will contribute to the restoration of the natural balance, for the benefit of the environment, of the people and of the local communities in the neighbourhood. The project is part of the global project of the Zentiva PlanetZ Group, a project that aims to reduce the carbon footprint in the group’s countries, by planting trees as well as by developing environmental educational projects.
The completion of the planting process of the 20,000 saplings is estimated to finish in the first half of 2021. On the recommendation of specialists from Conservation Carpathia, to ensure a proper composition of the forest, taking into account all the challenges of the area and the evolution over time of forests, in the context of climate change, ecological restoration will be achieved by planting beech and spruce species. In addition to planting trees, the project also provides for the monitoring and care of saplings over the next five years.
The project supported by ZENTIVA also contributes to the activation of local communities, planting being carried out with seasonal workers from neighbouring villages. Thus, the project provides a source of income at the local level and also makes local communities responsible.
“We are a drug company and our mission is to increase access to medicines. We work in this regard, and moreover, we act to protect the planet. It is our first project of this magnitude, following the planting of the 20,000 trees, we estimate that approximately 5-6 hectares of forest will be reforested. This project, in addition to reducing the impact on the environment, is also a support for local communities,” said Simona Cocos, General Manager of ZENTIVA Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
“Restoring the forests in the Făgăraș Mountains after the damage of the last 15 years is an extremely important task for all people living downstream of these mountains. Forests provide protection against floods and landslides, forests provide a constant supply of water, and have a significant positive impact on the local climate. In times of climate change, healthy forests are becoming an essential asset for all communities around the mountains. Thus, we enjoy the support received from ZENTIVA and the fact that we share the passion and care for nature and people,” said Christoph Promberger, executive director for Conservation Carpathia.
The collaboration between ZENTIVA and Conservation Carpathia is consistent with the company’s environmental concerns and its PlanetZ programme for a healthier planet. In Romania, the ZENTIVA group planted another 7,000 trees in 2019. And at European level, in the autumn of this year, the group implemented a project to rehabilitate 4,500 trees in a national park in Portugal, each tree being planted for and on behalf of each employee in the group, to thank them for their involvement.
