Radio România Internațional

Tag: biosphere reserve

  • The Danube Delta Cart View

    The Danube Delta Cart View

    Imagine a virtual explorer that
    allows you to admire pelicans taking flight on a small canal snaking through a
    flooded forest, among marshes and lakes. Then it veers off on Șontea Canal,
    among wild vines, under the willows hanging over the nearing canal, creating a
    spectacular vegetation tunnel. A few clicks away the scenery changes: a lake
    covered in water lilies, with egrets, great egrets and pelicans. Birdwatchers can
    also admire the cormorants feeding on Puiu Lake, or they can take a turn onto
    Sacalin Lagoon. On land, you can also explore the traditional buildings in the
    Delta, in Letea village, or may take a stroll on the narrow streets in the
    village called Mila 23. In the end, you can relax on the Sf. Gheorghe wild
    beach, or admire a panorama from the top of the old Sulina lighthouse. All this
    is made possible by Google Street View, which last week opened the Danube Delta
    to everyone.


    Gabriela
    Chiorean, communications manager for Google Romania, told us how the team got
    the idea. It all started in 2012, when they seemed to be stuck, after covering
    the length of the Danube from Bratislava to Cernavoda.


    Three years ago, Street View allowed people to navigate the Danube
    virtually from Bratislava to Cernavoda. We were missing something very
    important. That very important thing is now available, inviting us to visit the
    wonderful places in the Danube Delta. In the places where we couldn’t walk we
    used horse view. The company used the tracker on islands, in the desert, but we
    have never used this horse view, images from a horse drawn cart. We covered
    over 1,500 km, on canals and on paths and roads. The tracker weighs a bit over
    20 kg, and has 15 cameras so as to cover 360 degrees. Images are recorded every
    two and a half seconds.


    Camelia Ionescu, project manager for
    WWF Romania, told us how her organization joined forces with this Google
    project:


    I want to point out why we, as an environmental organization, joined
    this project. We have over 30 ecosystems with over 10,000 species that we have
    identified in the Delta, many of them protected, we can talk about the Delta as
    an area in which we find the largest compact reedy area in the world. We, as an
    environmental organization, keep in mind the fact that the Danube is inhabited
    by people too, and it is important that they have their own distinctive
    culture. People have been using natural resources, took artistic inspiration
    from nature, have decorated their homes with images of fish, sturgeon, and have
    built thatched roofs over their houses. The Delta has economic value, the reedy
    areas can be used for resources, while the fish population is an important
    attraction for tourists: people come here to take in the sights, to fish, but
    also to taste authentic fish soup that they make in the Delta. It was clear as
    early as a year ago, when these talks started, that it would be extraordinary
    for any person on the planet with Internet access to visit the Delta, it is
    incredible, and we are convinced that this will help the Delta find a place in
    people’s hearts. From there on it should be a small step towards protecting the
    Delta, as people start to value it more.


    Cristian Mititelu Raileanu went to
    the Delta with the tracker, and it is she that we owe the pictures to. She told
    us about his experience:


    If you really add up all the canals and all that appears in blue on
    Street View, maybe it’s not exactly 1,500 km, but I can tell you that I am sure
    I walked more than that, because certain lengths of road took two or three
    trips back and forth to properly cover the area. As for the tracker, this is
    Google equipment in its mobile version, a portable camera system in a backpack
    or on supports that allow it to be carried by a vehicle. In our case, in the
    boat I had to use anchored makeshift wooden supports, because boats move
    differently compared to cars. In the end it all worked out great, the images
    were excellent, and the colors beautiful, so it was all as we wished. One of
    the coolest moments was when we took a turn into a canal and we suddenly saw a
    great flock of pelicans and cormorants, and I realized that all this would be
    on Google. There are some things in the Delta that you don’t see all the time,
    when you take a canal you may see something one time, and miss it completely
    another time, like seeing hundreds of pelicans flocking on a lake or canal.
    Those were the moments when I was wondering what the Street View images would
    look like.


    Elisabeta Moraru, Business
    Development Manager for Google Romania, summed up for us the importance of this
    project:


    Imagine, at 8:15 in the morning, in a small mountain town in a
    classroom, that the kids are coming in, and the teacher says: ‘Take out your
    phones, today we are going on a trip to learn about the Delta’.

    (Translated by C. Cotoiu)

  • Autumn in the Danube Delta

    Autumn in the Danube Delta

    The Danube Delta, a natural paradise, is covering the area where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. Here the river ends its 2,860-km long journey from its source in the Black Forest Mountains in Germany. For centuries, this area of the Delta has been expanding due to the sediment carried and deposited by the river. A maze of canals, lakes and reed-covered islands formed here. In addition, here we find tropical forests, pastures and sand dunes, which cover an area of over 5,000 sq. km. This incredible area of water and land is home to more than 300 species of birds and countless species of fish, from sturgeon to carp and perch. We also find 1,150 species of plants, including lianas, winding up tree trunks in the oak-tree forests, as well as lotus-flowers. No wonder that UNESCO designated the Danube Delta a biosphere reserve.



    The starting point for any adventure into the Danube Delta is usually Tulcea, a city almost as old as Rome, located close to the area where the Danube splits into three arms. The city is located 71 km (45 miles) from Sulina, a settlement as old as Tulcea, located at the opposite end of Sulina arm. Cruises can be made between these two points, allowing tourists to admire the Delta’s flora, fauna and the traditional villages from the comfort of the ship’s deck.



    Ioana Voinea, manager of a hotel compound in the Delta, tells us how tourists feel after spending some time in the area: ”They leave the area with a good impression, amazed by its potential, its beauty, but also by how poorly advertised this place is. All of them said they were very surprised by the breathtaking landscape here and wondered why so few people know about the sites that can be visited in Romania. We had tourists coming over from France, Germany and England many of whom were interested in bird watching. We also had tourists from the US, Austria and the Netherlands.”



    Fortunately, the Danube Delta has a long tourist season, that starts in April and ends in November, Ioana Voinea says. The weather is quite nice, there is lush vegetation in spring and summer and birds can be watched from a short distance. Fishermen come to the region mostly in autumn. Recommended for a visit of the Delta are the months of September, October and November.



    Ioana Voinea: ”I should like to invite everybody to come to this place and discover a natural haven and enjoy a fish broth prepared in the traditional way and served outdoors, with the fish grilled in front of the tourists. If they spend at least four hours in the Delta, they will surely be impressed. Most of the people who visit the place come as tourists and leave as friends. It is a unique place in Europe.”



    Dragoş Cătălinoiu Gociman, the vice-president of the Danube Delta Travel Employers’ Association, tells us more about this biosphere reserve: ”Tourists coming here should know that the Danube Delta is not only a place for fishermen, hunters and nature lovers. The Danube Delta is also a place where you can feel free in the middle of nature. The Danube Delta is different from season to season and also from one area to another. I find it hard to pick a favourite area, but what I would highly recommend is the one called Erenciuc, where flying fish can be seen, the place where the Danube flows into the Black Sea and also the Letea Forest and the Mila 23 area. There are lots of places like these in the Delta, and all of them are very different and very beautiful. “



    If you come to a village on the bank of this river, you can see fishermen cooking their own version of the Russian soup and you can also taste it. Those with more sophisticated tastes can try the Danube herring or sturgeon patties, which go well with tasty local wines served in restaurants in Tulcea and Sulina.



    Romania’s rowing champion Ivan Patzaichin, is part of an association that for more than ten years has been promoting the Danube Delta: “I have always said the Delta has to become the queen of Europe’s eco-tourism. And the association is constantly working in this respect, trying to promote tourism and along with it local traditions, gastronomy and the beautiful landscape here, as the Delta is a very wide place and every corner stands for something. Very few people know that and we mainly try to attract tourists who understand that a one-day trip is just not enough.”



    Apart from a breathtaking landscape and an incursion into the world of the archaic village, the Danube Delta offers various ways of spending time. Travel agencies have on offer numerous holiday packages tailored to the needs of every tourist. The region abounds in accommodation facilities ranging from guesthouses to floating hotels. Tourists are advised to book their tickets in advance in order to enjoy discounts.