Category: Green Planet

The international Life-Euro Large Carnivores, partially financed by the EU, of which Romania is a part of, is nearing its end. It is aimed at improving coexistence between people and large sized carnivores in Europe. For almost five years, through cross-border cooperation and communication, solutions were sought to prove that bears, wolves, and bobcats are a richness, not a problem. The program was aimed at helping these wonderful animals live in their habitats, crossing paths with people as seldom as possible. In fact, coexistence between people and large carnivores over the centuries took many compromises and adaptations on both sides. The explosion in human habitat and infrastructure in the last century has drastically reduced the size of the habitat of animals, and has significantly disturbed the life of many species. As the World Wide Fund organization has shown, the expansion of forest exploitation, of transportation infrastructure, of tourism, construction, and farming, but also excessive hunting of the food base of large carnivores, has had a major impact on the behavior of bears, wolves, and bobcats. We asked Marius Berchi, WWF expert and manager of the Life-Euro Large Carnivores in Romania, what the main issues are at this point: ]

“The issues we face, I would say, come from the fact that the areas in which people carry out activities are expanding, and are overlapping with wild areas. This has direct effects, such as attacks on people, or indirect ones, such as material damage and economic losses. There is also management of fauna, such as complementary feeding, which contributes to wild animals getting used to people, and improper waste management. Of course, people sometimes get attacked by bears, sometimes fatally, but so far there are no registered attacks by wolves against people.”

In order for it to be successful, reducing conflict between people and large carnivores takes continual dialog and cooperation, but also consensus between all actors involved. We are talking about decision makers, local communities and administrators, environmental agencies, forest rangers, farmers, researchers, NGOs, and tourism operators, and that is not all. Marius Berchi told us what WWF Romania has done to this end:

“In terms of damage produced, we proposed a provision for payment as part of the National Strategic Plan issued as part of the Common Agricultural Policy. As a result, animal breeders could get financial assistance to increase their prevention measures and equipment. This could be purchasing electric fences, guard dogs, and even bear-proof garbage cans. Then we managed to put together a regional coexistence platform in the Apuseni Mountains. It gathers together animal farmers, hunters, and many representatives of institutions that are not directly interested in the issue. Another important result was that we tried, and I think we managed, to increase the capacity of institutions. We managed to organize a few training sessions, and I will give two examples: one was held last autumn, to implement a system of evaluating and monitoring the national population of wolves, and another one being held right now. They are aimed at quick response teams, which include mayors, gendarmes, hunters, and vets. We had information activities among farmers regarding the steps they should take in order to get compensation for damages. We donated prevention equipment as part of the project, such as electric fences and bear spray cans. One important contribution we had was on the side of legislation and policy, trying to maintain a balance in providing balanced management of bears, and we had a major contribution to developing the International Action Plan for the Conservation of Large Carnivores in the Carpathian Mountains.”

The European population of bears, wolves, and bobcats has been on the increase in the last few decades. Statistics show that the population of bears is around 18,000, of which 6,700 are in Romania alone. Also, 1,200 bobcats live here, out of a total of 9,000 on the continent. In spite of their importance, wolves have been exterminated in most European countries over the last two centuries, reaching an extreme low in the mid 20th century. In Romania, they were never wiped out, however, and official data shows that they have a stable population of 2,500 to 2,900 wolves, mostly in the high hills and low mountains.

In November, humanity took another step it its effort to curb climate change. Gathering in Scotland, world leaders endorsed the so-called Glasgow Climate Pact, at the end of two weeks of arduous negotiations. The step seems small, however, if we listen to the statement made by Alok Sharma, the president of the COP26 summit, who said that he was profoundly disappointed by the last moment changes regarding fossil fuels, introduced at the last moment by request from India and China. They replaced the idea of gradual elimination with one of gradual reduction. Jennifer Morgan, from Greenpeace International, called the pact weak, barely keeping alive the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius for global warming, but said that the coal era was at an end, which is important.

Experts constantly warn that each tenth of a degree matters, while climate caused disasters are more and more frequent, such as floods, drought, and heat waves, each with its own kind of damage. Also present in Glasgow was climatologist Roxana Bojariu, with the Romanian National Meteorology Agency. We asked her how serious the situation was.

“The global warming situation is serious, and the latest report from the intergovernmental group studying climate change, published in August, clearly showed that we are in a climate crisis. The UN Secretary General said that we are in a climate code red situation. The last seven years have been the warmest globally, since record keeping started in the first half of the 19th century. We also had extreme events, we are not talking about a gradual warming. Last summer we had extraordinary events. Near Vancouver they registered a temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius. Subsequent studies showed that this would not have been possible without global warming, and that we are in a climate emergency. The brush fires in Canada, the US, and Europe, such as in Greece as well. We also saw very strong storms, because we are not talking only about rising median temperatures, we are talking about a change in all the ways in which heat and humidity circulate. We also have a higher amount of heat in the system due to the intensified green house effect because of man made gases.”

Solving environmental problems is, most of the time, not about good or ill will on the part of decision makers, but also about costs and alternatives. Which is why a major point in the debates in Glasgow was financing ecological change in poorer countries by industrialized countries, the main polluters on the planet. Here, Romania has an edge in being part of the EU, befitting heavily from the European Green Pact. Roxana Bojariu explains:

“Romania is an EU member, and has to comply with European targets, and with regard to those, the EU speaks with one voice. Of course, the positions taken are agreed upon by all member states in technical talks. The target of cutting emissions by 55 percent by 2030 as compared to 1990 remains an obvious target for the EU, and for reaching climate neutrality by 2050, zero net emissions. At the same time, another target is reaching resilience in the face of changes that have happened, and are sure to happen by 2050, because we have already changed the climate. These EU targets are put into practice by directives, law packages, such as the Climate Law, which are being discussed by the EU, which fall under the umbrella of the European Green Pact. So, Romania is in the fortuitous situation of having clear and consistent planning. One thing that it can take advantage of is the fact that all these Union internal level measures are supported by funds to help countries like Romania, which, compared to Western states, have a weaker economy, and have to catch up more in economic and social development.”

Some of the international reactions to the agreement in Glasgow are diametrically opposed. Unfortunately, collective political will was not sufficient to overcome profound differences between the countries, and it is time to operate in emergency mode, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Saluting what he called welcome steps forward, he listed the goals that were not reached — financial aid for poorer countries, ending subsidies for fossil fuels, giving up coal, and setting a carbon price. British PM Boris Johnson said that much more is to be done in the future, but that the pact is a big step forward. He added that it is important that we have the first international accord to reduce coal usage, and that we have a plan to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial times.

A petition to save the bees has managed to gather enough signatures to be submitted for examination to the EC. The initiative called Save the Bees and the Farmers gathered more than a million signatures, according to the website. The fact that we managed this in spite of the massive restrictions caused by the COVID-19 crisis shows how many people call for a change in agricultural policy. That was a statement from Veronika Feicht, representing the Environmental Institute in Munich, one of the organizers of the campaign. The petition calls on the EU to gradually phase out synthetic pesticides, restore biodiversity, and stop emphasizing industrial agriculture.

Over 31,000 signatures originated in Romania, over 30% more than was needed to reach the country minimum threshold. The petition was initiated by 90 organizations from 17 EU countries, and calls for synthetic pesticides in farming to be reduced by 80% by 2030, and completely removed by 2035. Among the initiators is the Beekeeper Association Federation in Romania, Romapis. We asked the vice-president of the organization, Constantin Dobrescu, why this was needed:

“This was a sorely needed initiative, because bees, and pollinators in general, are in decline — a decline that was proven by science, and which has very long term effects, in all sorts of areas. There are now studies in Germany, in protected areas without intensive farming, which is based on intensive use of pesticides and on monocultures. In one such region, over 30 years, a decline in pollinators of about 70% was recorded. This means insects. Insects are the root of the food chain. Right now, insects disappearing is like sea plankton disappearing. All life is in jeopardy, not just human life. This is no joke! You realize what happens in industrial agriculture areas, where they use loads of pesticides. Bees suffer, bee keepers suffer, but think of solitary bees, of bumblebees… No one defends them. So they go extinct, whole species, which are major losses with extraordinary consequences.”

Bees, as well as other pollinators, are indispensable for ecosystems and biodiversity. Up to a third of human food and two thirds of daily consumption fruits and vegetables are growing due to pollinators. However, their existence is menaced by the constant contamination with pesticides, along with loss of habitat because of industrial farming, says the Beekeeper Association Federation in Romania. The petition also points out strongly that natural ecosystems in agricultural areas have to be urgently restored, so that agriculture can become a key factor in restoring biodiversity. In order to achieve that, farmers need support in their transition to ecological farming. Small, diverse, and durable farms have to be favored, with expanding ecological farming. What should be promoted are training and research in pesticide free farming, without GMOs, the petition also states. Here is Constantin Dobrescu:

“Agriculture is tributary, it pays tribute to the agricultural chemical industry. There are some habits that formed in present farming practices which involves massive use of these pesticides, which are much more toxic than the first generations. So, from one generation to the next, they become much more dangerous for insects, but also for the human population. Whether you want it or not, they make their way into food. This idea, that we cannot do farming without these poisons, it is false. There are scientific studies proving the Europe could be self-sustaining in terms of food. Of course, that would be true if we change some mentalities: for instance, we should not eat meat more than twice a week. So, ecological farming is possible. Farmers who have already embraced this kind of production know the subject, they know it is possible, they know that this idea that people would starve without pesticides, is erroneous, it is false, we could even call it a lie…”

This European citizen initiative was introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon. It allows a million citizens from at least a quarter of EU member states to invite the EC to submit legislative initiatives in areas in which it has jurisdiction. However, upon request from states which needed time to put in place mechanisms to verify the declarations of support, citizens were able to launch such initiatives starting only on April 1, 2021.

‘The Future Doesn’t Sound Good’ is what is written in large font on the website of the ‘Clean Waters’ program of the Romanian environmental organization ‘More Green’. This is a program dedicated to reducing plastic waste in the Danube, Romania’s largest river, which flows into the Black Sea through the unique Danube Delta. The project was triggered by warnings from ecologists who warned that, if we don’t do anything, by 2050 we will have more plastic in the planet’s waters than we have fish. Romania falls within the planetary trend, so things don’t sound good.

The Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation Administration talks about over 1,500 tons of plastic being carried down the river annually, which gather most of the waters flowing around the country. Down to the Danube and its surroundings, water flows or lakes of any kind accumulate huge quantities of plastic, which leads to decreased aquatic biodiversity, a drastic drop in the quality of water we use, and an eyesore in the landscape. But landscapes marred by piles of garbage brought in by waters is the last of the problems. The ‘Clean Waters’ project aims at historical pollution, with collection of plastic in waterways, and measures to prevent and combat more coming in. In order to grapple with a debit of about 4 tons of garbage a day, more and more action is needed, on longer term, along the entire basin of the Danube and its tributaries, both in Romania, and the countries higher up the river. We asked communication manager Oana Serban what the people at the More Green association are doing:

“We started with clean-up action, we set up and developed an infrastructure of collecting waste. This means setting up garbage cans for collecting plastics separately, with informative billboards along the Danube. In 2020, for instance, we collected almost 40 tons of plastic, preventing it from ending up in the river. Also, we used technology solutions never seen so far in Romania. For instance, we have a drone, a floating barrier that we have had for almost a year on the Jiu River, which we want to place into other rivers too, with a net that collects trash. In addition, it is very important to educate and raise awareness. People have to understand why it is important to stop throwing away used plastics, why they should collect them separately, and what alternatives there are to single use plastics. That is a huge problem, because we use too many pieces of cutlery, plates, or cups. They are all over the place. We have these on top of the water and soda bottles we all buy. To this end, we created in participating cities mural pictures, which pull an alarm signal in terms of plastic pollution in water.

On top of that, the organization’s activists are trying to bring together partners from the non-governmental sector, government and administration structures, private businesses, and, obviously, local communities. Starting in 2008, when it was set up, the association claims they have built a culture of responsibility and volunteering for the environment in Romania. With educational projects and campaigns, with slogans such as ‘There is life past collection’, or ‘Waste is not garbage’, volunteers picked up over 350 tons of plastic from forests, riverbeds, or tourist trails. Add to this advocacy activities, which are meant to improve public policy. Oana Serban told us that one very important aspect of the program is the component of community organizing:

“We don’t just go to cities with solutions we cooked up, cookie cutter solutions, we work with the locals. We have managed in the 10 cities we started with to form local initiative groups. Also, some community organizers who attended the community organizing and development training program have understood how to get citizens involved in programs relevant to the community. After these two years, we managed to bring people up to a certain level. They now know how to mobilize citizens for action. Some are already connected to the relevant institutions, and undertook advocacy campaigns. They understood that pressure has to be applied on the authorities for problems to get solved. So, what is essential is people, citizens. That is what we are relying on.

The ‘Clean Waters project contributes to the 6 of the 17 objectives for sustainable development of the United Nations Global Pact. They are Clean Waters, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Underwater Life, Life on Land, and Partnerships for Objectives. They are trying to not only clean up waters, but also minds, civic institutions and mechanisms, which make a society work organically, say the members of the organization. They also say that, if we don’t take action now, the proverbial golden fish who grants wishes may soon be made of plastic. So much for the three wishes…

Tășuleasa Social, an ONG in Bistrița Năsăud County, started a few years ago a special project — a 1,400 km trail crossing the country from the northeast and southwest. The long road, as they call it, starts from Putna, the resting place of Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great, then crosses the province of Transylvania, with its embarrassment of riches, and reaches Drobeta Turnu-Severin, on the Danube, the place where the first king of Romania, Carol I, entered the country. This trail was documented by the experts with the organization, and is an encouragement to tourists who love to travel not by car, but like to stroll across the countryside. This trail will probably be ready next year, but over large portions it has been marked and is easily identifiable, according to organizers, and one that is hard to stray from. Obviously, 1,400 km is a lot whichever way you look at it, which is why the trail is divided into several segments, all described in detail in a guide that can be found on the Via Transilvanica website. The designers of the project took great care in protecting the environment, said Alin Usieru, president of the Tășuleasa Social organization:

“As far as we are concerned, the designers, who have spent three years on the project, Via Transilvanica is and should be a road that no one should get lost on. Romania is too beautiful, too interesting not to see it walking through it, it has spectacular things at every step. It is as if at every turn there is a treasure buried, and one should just dig a bit and so experience Romania, one end to the other. Long distance roads, I believe, are on long term, the best way to emphasize each historic tier, each cultural tier, the cuisine, the natural and rural environment. In these terms we may be the richest people on the planet, especially in terms of the natural surroundings, which is beneficial for us, and puts us in a unique state of mind.”

Via Transilvanica is a project that should benefit everyone and everything, people and our surroundings too. This is also an invitation for a return to old traditions that the locals keep, offering them to tourists in a way that preserves them. The aim is to convince locals to preserve the natural habitat while earning a living at the same time, protecting their local flora and fauna. Here is what Alin Usieru told us about the sustainability of the project:

“Our best estimate for preserving the environment is having about 100,000 people cross this 1,400 km trail. That would make a sustainable project, which would be of help for 600 communities along the way, it would help them survive. You cant just do environmental protection now without helping people. Almost everyone on the Via Transilvanica trail can become a small businessman, making their household work for them, offering hospitality. Our organization can only cover about half of their needs. The people offering hospitality, but especially the travelers, have to do the other half. A well kept household that offers the best to tourists is one that caters to the environment. At some point, we believed that if we reforested Romania all over, we would solve all our problems. However, now we know that some of the reforestation that has been done can be downright dangerous. People no longer work the earth there, and at the same time we may face a catastrophe if we lose our beautiful pastures. Especially in Transylvania, in fact, all over the Carpathians, which has such abundant flora. Of course forests are important, but they take over every living thing. So a long distance trail solves some of these problems, it provides money to the locals in places it crosses. The tourist becomes a sort of ambassador for this very important biotope. Most of the inhabitants across the trail are well informed. We also educate the children. We emphasize educating the children, as well as local households, which we favor over B&Bs and hotels. We are also working on video presentations.”

The organizers encourage Romanians to get to know their country by taking to this long trail, but they also welcome foreign tourists. Via Transilvanica is a road that breaks the barriers between generations and cultures, because it is dedicated to those who ignore age, experience, and origin, and come here to take the road with a minimal load. Via Transilvania is about diversity, about starting from the plains of the Danube to the peaks of the mountains, on roads as diverse as the people that we hope enjoy them. That is the message of the project, which you can access on their website.

For a long time, deadwood was believed to be harmful to ecosystems, and was removed systematically. However, at this point experts believe things are lopsided, and a project for research aimed at this is running on the Romanian-Ukrainian border. It is called Promoting deadwood for increasing resilience in the cross-border area between Romania and Ukraine. The project is implemented by the WWF in collaboration with the Stefan cel Mare University in Suceava, in the neighboring north, the PS Pasternak-UkKRIMF Forestry Research Institute, and the Ecosphera organization, the latter two from Ukraine. The conclusions so far are that deadwood (both standing dead trees or fallen ones) is a critical component of the structure and functioning of the forest, with a key role in maintaining its productivity, natural regeneration, biodiversity, and increasing resilience to climate change. At the same time, deadwood contributes to ecosystem services that are valuable to local communities and the public at large.

Here is Radu Melu, an expert with WWF Romania:

“It is essential for the forestry sector. First of all because it supports the productivity of the forest. We have a whole range of nutritional substances, organic matter of provenance, which constitutes a base for growth for young plants and a new generation that tends to develop there. As part of the forest, the greatest soil component comes from wood. If we always pull out all the wood from the forest and dont let it decompose there, we may have some problems. If I may be allowed a parallel with agriculture, imagine that in agriculture we come in and keep harvesting off a surface, we then come in with something else. With a fertilizer, be it natural or chemical, in order to compensate, because the soil at some point is depleted. We need for some of the wood to fall to the ground, with its leaves and twigs, and other organic components. They provide food and a habitat for thousands of endemic species. A whole bunch of species cannot survive without this deadwood, and not having them in the forest may render it vulnerable. This sustains the natural regeneration of forests. There are areas where we have too much moisture, or areas that are too dry. The wood maintains a proper balance. Deadwood, half decayed wood, keeps the right balance of moisture. Just the right amount for saplings to develop there. There are saplings that spring on deadwood, and can only grow there, that is the only place they are thriving. Moreover, they provide food and a habitat for all sorts of forest species, which live in tree holes, in trees as such. They need this deadwood, without which they would develop to a lesser degree, or may even go extinct. Also, these are hibernation habitats. We have a whole lot of advantages from this type of wood.”

Deadwood management is a fairly new conservation concept for Romania and Ukraine, having been promoted since the early 2000s, and which is not often understood in practice. For dozens of years, the line authorities in the two countries believed it to be a so-called enemy of the forest, and systematically removed it in forestry engagements. This led to the extinction of a number of valuable species for the forest ecosystem, creating vulnerability in terms of natural forest regeneration, providing soil nutrients, and providing climate change resilience, amounting to a negative economic impact. Here is Catalin Roibu, an expert with the Stefan cel Mare University in Suceava:

“Deadwood is not an abstraction, on the contrary, it is a European and a world concept that spells deadwood means living forest. This is because it is a source of food and shelter for many species. At the same time, it provides that component that regulates and controls all that has to do with the health of the forest. The project started off from a series of test surfaces, 20 circular plots placed in randomized areas. 20 more were placed in curated forests, where forest management was the norm. We had the same mechanism of placing test surfaces, the same protocol, in Ukraine.”

Toppling the myth of deadwood as something that has to be removed from forests, using cross-border research between Romania and Ukraine, is an important part of preserving healthy forest ecosystems, and the services they provide, say the developers of the EU funded project.

The auroch, Bison Bonasus, the largest land mammal in Europe, which centuries ago roamed the entire continent, is now a protected animal, an endangered species. It can only be seen in a few reservations, and only in very few places in the wild. As of recently, one of these places is the Fagaras Mountains area, in central Romania, where the Conservation Carpathia Foundation is running a program for returning to the wild the majestic herbivores, one of the historical symbols of Romania. Now it is known to people mostly from fairy tales and historical tales, and has achieved an aura of legend as a beloved symbol.

However, this effort to reintroduce them in the wild is not just nostalgia, as we were told by Adrian Aldea, fauna management biologist with Conservation Carpathia:

“The Fagaras Mountains area is an area still largely unaffected by human intervention. Right now, the only species that are still missing from the initial line-up are aurochs and beavers, hence the idea of this Life project, which is aimed at creating a new wild area in the southeast of Fagaras Mountains. We plan on setting up three areas to reintroduce the aurochs. So far we have implemented two, and the third is in the works, we have already brought in an initial group of animals each, and for the duration of the project we plan on bringing in about five exemplars each year. By the end of the project we want to see at least 75 aurochs roaming free. The auroch is an umbrella species within the ecosystem, because by its presence and intervention in nature, certain niches get created for other species. Take their feeding habits, for instance: they eat both grasses and underbrush, keeping open the groves and pastures, which are habitats with a great specific diversity. Also, with their habit of wallowing, they create pools that are home to other species, like frogs and reptiles.

Another reason for which the presence of aurochs in their ancestral roaming grounds is that, by their sheer size and weight, upwards of a ton, and by the distances they travel, they create pathways for other mammals, such as deer, badgers, or ferrets. Also, by their hygiene habits, such as dust baths, and scratching against trees and brush, the auroch collects in its fur seed that it carries wherever it roams, helping regenerate pastures and open areas. They have a very important role in the ecosystem, also helping develop local communities. We asked Andrei Aldea if aurochs could contribute to the development of tourism, and how the foundation acquires the animals they bring in:

“In the areas where the reintroduction of the auroch has been underway for a number of years, tourism has developed substantially. This has been verified in Poland, and the Neamt area in Romania. We also have a reservation in Brasov, not in the wild, but the area is very well promoted. They are brought in from various reproduction centers or reservation all over Europe. The issue of costs is variable. It depends how each breeder has to cover their expenses. We have a project budget, and have to abide by it, but there are countries or centers that have provided us with animals free of charge, as they resonate with the idea of reintroducing them into the wild.

The foundation has European financing, but also uses their own. In terms of their interaction with people, the aurochs are not an immediate danger, but can become aggressive when they feel threatened. Which is why tourists should keep their distance, should not attempt to take selfies with them, or feed them, keeping a distance of at least 30 meters. At the same time, the animals can do damage while seeking feeding grounds, if they get close to villages, pastures, or farmland. That is why the areas for reintroducing them were picked to be far away from inhabited areas. In order to prevent conflict with this mighty creature, the rangers of the foundation patrol the area, monitoring the movements of the aurochs, their health, and their interactions with other wild species. The rangers also keep the animals away from human habitations. Also, in case of extreme weather conditions, the rangers can leave food caches in places frequented by the herds. In order to avoid conflicts with the local communities, Conservation Carpathia also installs electric fences to keep safe properties. One very pleasant surprise came in the autumn of 2020, when an auroch calf was spotted in the Fagaras Mountain area, which is now growing and developing without a hitch.

This year, the award in the Equability category of the Sustainable Development Gala, organized by the Romanian Government, went to the Tara Hategului UNESCO Geopark, in the west of the country, a project designed and implemented by Bucharest University. The motivation for the award was the following: “The notion of Equability is derived from the idea that justice is the first virtue of societies, and translates into a plethora of concepts that are based in a fundamental moral principle, that of respecting the rights of others. We are talking about a series of values such as equality, justice, humaneness, honesty, equal access to resources and opportunities, but mainly honest collaboration. One model of champion of this vast area of equity is the Tara Hategului Dinosaur Geopark”.

This was the speech when the award was handed to Prof. Alexandru Andrasanu, instructor at the School of Geology and Geophysics. The very concept of geopark comes from the idea of sustainable development based on equability, as the professor told us, as project leader:

“A geopark has the elements of a territory, elements with geological value, as well as natural and cultural value, and, in partnership with local communities, proposes a strategy for conservation, development, tourism promotion, and brand building, of a tourist destination, a territory for sustainable development. It is the way in which, although geoparks follow the same principles, each is unique in its local identity elements, the approach of the team, initiatives, and the creativity we propose. In Hateg Country the fundamental starting elements were the results of research into midget dinosaurs, which made the area known at the international level. Then we realized that, in addition to the dinosaurs, Hateg Country has some very important natural elements, but mainly it has a tradition at least two thousand years old, and has very well individualized communities, with their own identity.”

In fact, one territory that got the status of UNESCO International Geopark can only follow economic development in agreement with the protection of the environment, offering equitable living conditions for all inhabitants. All the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDO) in Romanias Strategy — 2030 Agenda can be identified among the objectives followed in Hateg Country. The Geopark is part of the UNESCO international program for geoscience and geoparks, which cover 161 territories in 44 countries. It is a territory with natural and cultural values, with a sustainable development program that proposes traveling back in time, along the entire history of the Earth, 4.6 billion years. This includes elements of special geological interest, next to those of ecological, archaeological, historical, and cultural interest. These can be types of rock, minerals, fossils, geological phenomena, wild flora and fauna, and are available for visiting, being discovered, and being appreciated. The midget dinosaurs in Hateg Country are unique in the world, and their scientific importance and attractiveness is enhanced by the discovery of nests with dinosaur eggs and young, as well as mammals contemporary with dinosaurs, and giant flying reptiles. The geopark is a space for discovery, tourism, but also for education, for both locals and visitors. Its purpose is, in the end, to preserve the natural riches of the area for the following generations. We asked Alexandru Andrasanu how they plan on going about this:

“First of all, with educational activities of conserving and promoting local values. Last year we started development for a project which invites tourists and locals alike to discover the values of the region, to appreciate and respect them. It is the discover- appreciate- respect concept, a gift we make to tourists, but also a gift that people receive and can offer to visitors. At the same time, the geopark is in a nature reserve with its own rules for conservation. We are partners with the Retezat National Park and with the Gradistea Muncelului Cioclovina Nature Park, which correspond with the ecotourism destinatino, so that there is a framework for conservation and awareness raising, promoting some rules to respect nature.”

First and foremost, international geoparks aim to attract visitors that are interested in spending quality time, in discovering geoproducts, and spending their money to the benefit of local communities. Trips through the network of geoparks means an adventure that is meant to uncover secrets kept for tens of millions of years, from the time when continental drift gave bright to the scenery of now. International geoparks are considered the UNESCO territories of the 21st centuries, because, as in a puzzle, each member owns a fragment of the Story of Earth. They are, according to the international organization, the caretakers that transmit the memory of earth to the next generations. With their interpretation of the past, geoparks have a role in preparing local communities for the current and future challenges posed by climate change, and in good management of the material and non-material heritage.

The European Council has renewed the
European Diploma for Protected Areas, awarded to the Danube Delta
Biosphere Reservation in Tulcea, in southeastern Romania. It is not
the first time this happens, since this is one of the highest
distinctions in Europe, both due to the high scientific standards
that are applied, as well as the continuous monitoring of compliance.
The diploma has started being awarded since the year 2000, because,
with its wetlands with such a diverse flora and fauna, the area has
major biological value, with great landscapes and inestimable
cultural value for Europe.

This is what reservation governor Ion
Munteanu told us:

First of all, because of what
exists as natural heritage in the area. I am talking about flora and
fauna, habitats, and ecosystems. Secondly, they are optimally
conserved, and meet all the criteria demanded by the EU. I want to
say that we met all of them because, besides the fact that we have
many conservation projects, we’ve had many projects to revive nature
in areas that have suffered because of human meddling. I am talking
about 16,000 hectares of areas that used to be farms or fisheries,
and which have been restored to nature gradually, impressing European
experts, when they compared what used to be and what it is now. We
have very well trained colleagues, who studied both in the country
and abroad. We also have a corps of rangers who know very well what
happens in the field, and know very well the situation in each area.

When renewing the distinction the
third time, the European Council also formulated a series of
recommendations. One is to include in the Reservation Management
Plan, which is under revision, specific dispositions dedicated to
climate change, more to the point those that are relevant to the
long-term conservation of endemic species. Another is the need to
provide a base budget for managing the reservation, and increasing
the number of employees to ensure an effective means of carrying out
activities. The process by which the diploma is granted includes
analyzing technical documentation and field inspections by
independent experts in protected areas. The role of the diploma is,
on the one hand, to reward member states for protecting certain
areas, and on the other, because it is granted on a limited basis,
which can be prolonged, to encourage those states to continue
protecting them. We asked the governor of the Danube Delta what the
main problems faced by the reservation are:

This year was totally atypical,
because of the pandemic, atypical because people didn’t flock to
other countries to spend their holidays, but flocked to the Danube
Delta. In this situation, we believe that the number of tourists
skyrocketed, with the number of tourists on the beaches tripling. I
am talking about the beaches in Constanta County, Vadu and Corbu. It
was the case with the ones in the Delta, but they are harder to
reach, so people focused on the areas that they could drive to. There
were many boats in the Delta that worked overtime, sometimes at
higher speeds than permitted. We took measures. We ran checkpoints
and inspections all the time, we took action to protect those areas
with intense tourism, which were mostly prevention and awareness
raising among people on how tourism should be done in protected
areas. Another big problem is the overfishing that has been occurring
for many years here, and poaching, which is in fact another kind of
overfishing, as well as failure to report the quantity of fish that
gets caught, and reaches black markets.

The Danube Delta has a triple status
internationally: it is a UNESCO MAB biosphere reservation, as part of
the Man and Biosphere program, it is an international wetland for
aquatic birds, as part of the Ramsar Convention, and it is also a
UNESCO World Nature and Culture Heritage site. It is an integral part
of the Natura 2000 European ecological network, and has 3 protected
areas. There are also 20 strictly protected areas for scientific
purposes. They are home to 4,000 pairs of pelican, the largest such
colony in Europe, 320 fertile pairs of Pelecanus Crispus, an
endangered species, 70 colonies with a variety of other birds, namely
36 mixed and 34 monospecific, and 22 colonies of giant cormorant.
During the period of migration, the Delta shelters over 20,000 large
aquatic bird species. The area is exceedingly beautiful, with huge
biodiversity and resources, which makes it unique in Europe and all
over the world.