National parks and protected areas
Romania boasts various types of protected areas, including fourteen national parks, where nature lovers will find plenty to enjoy.
Semenic-Gorges du Caraș National Park, southeast of Timișoara, is ideal for hiking, with its vast beech forests, gorges and caves.
The Retezat Mountains National Park is Romania's first and largest national park. It is located in the central-western part of the country, in the Carpathian Mountains. It offers a unique setting, with over 60 peaks and more than 80 glacial lakes. A treasure trove of biodiversity, it is home to one of Europe's last remaining primary forests. It boasts over 1,190 species of flora and fauna, including wolves, brown bears, boreal lynxes and otters.
Rodna National Park, in the north of the country, also belongs to the Carpathian Massif. Here, visitors will discover breathtaking landscapes, glacial valleys, forests and pastures, fragile ecosystems associated with great biodiversity.
Călimani National Park, in the eastern Carpathians, is located on the borders of three historic provinces: Bucovina, Transylvania and Moldavia. The Călimani volcanic massif boasts great biodiversity and varied relief. The park is dotted with picturesque sites, anthropomorphic rocks or lakes that offer unique panoramas to visitors on foot or horseback.
Piatra Craiului National Park is located in the Carpathian Mountains, 30 km from Brașov. Its name means "prince's stone". One of the park's special features is its geology. The massif is dominated by limestone. It is home to over 700 caves and is also a training ground for many mountaineers. Endemic plant species can also be found. Wildlife includes bears, wolves and lynx.
The Măcin Mountains National Park, located in the south-east of the country, comprises part of the Măcin Mountains and a mosaic of ecosystems: steppes, Balkan-type mixed forests, associated with great biodiversity. The park is home to numerous bird species, including the ortolan bunting, turtle dove, saker falcon, sparrowhawk and ferocious hawk, one of Europe's largest harriers.
The Jiu National Park in the southern Carpathians is reputed to be one of the most spectacular in Romania. It is home to exceptional forest environments: coniferous and juniper forests at higher altitudes, followed by magnificent ash forests on the lower levels. The landscapes of the Jiu River defile bring their share of pictorial landscapes with their rocks and waterfalls. There are also many species of flowers, including orchids. Finally, the park boasts a varied fauna, with amphibians, reptiles and numerous birds, including the golden eagle.
Domogled-Vallée de la Cerna National Park, also in the southern Carpathians, is characterized by its mountainous terrain and ecosystems, and the wide variety of flora and fauna specific to the Carpathians.
Buila-Vânturarița National Park, in the former province of Wallachia, is located in the Căpătânii massif of the Southern Carpathians. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful and varied forest massifs in the country, with exceptional biodiversity and rare species. It also contains caves, home to six species of bat. Remarkable species include yew, juniper, martagon lily and various orchids. In terms of fauna, the entire ecological pyramid of species can be found.
Cozia National Park, in the historic Wallachian region of the Southern Carpathians, is renowned for the picturesque landscapes of the Olt gorge, a tributary of the Danube. These unspoilt ecosystems are home to exceptional biodiversity. Large predators such as wolves, lynxes and bears can be found here, as well as herbivores such as chamois and deer.
The Buila-Vânturarița National Park, in the southern Carpathians, is located in the historic region of Wallachia. It is home to forests, caves and lakes.
The Nera-Beușnița Gorge National Park is located in the southwest of the country, in the historic Banat region. Away from the main tourist routes, this park is a haven of peace. Visitors will discover landscapes as yet untouched by man. The park is home to sumptuous landscapes such as "Devil's Lake" - the country's only karst lake - as well as beautiful waterfalls, rivers, gorges and forests. It's an ideal place for hiking, climbing and caving.
The Bicaz-Hășmaș Gorge National Park in northeastern Romania, east of the Eastern Carpathians, is home to a beautiful landscape of creeks, canyons, moraines, valleys and forests. The fauna is typical of the Carpathians (bear, wolf, lynx, great crested newt, golden eagle), associated with vast forest massifs (mixed forests, coniferous, oak, beech, ash). Floristic diversity includes edelweiss and yellow gentian.
Ceahlău National Park is located in the historic region of Moldavia, in the north-east of the country. It boasts beautiful mountain scenery, waterfalls and one of the country's largest lakes, created by the Bicaz dam. It is home to beautiful forests of beech, hornbeam and fir, as well as large predators such as the bear. With more than two-thirds of the country's floral diversity, it is considered a veritable "natural laboratory", frequented not only by universities, but also by many tourists, who concentrate around the picturesque sites (amazingly shaped rocks, Durău monastery).
The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, recognized by Unesco, protects most of the Danube delta between Romania and Ukraine. It includes the lagoons known as limans. This unique ecosystem is home to over 1,500 plant species and an extremely diverse fauna (birds, freshwater fish, insects). It is also home to a large number of sedentary and migratory birds.
A fragile and threatened resource: the forest
Romania has 3% primary forest on its territory, which represents two-thirds of the European Union's virgin forests (excluding Scandinavia). These untouched forests, which are not exploited by man, are incredible reservoirs of biodiversity, as well as carbon sinks. They are classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites and included in Natura 2000 zones. Despite these protective statuses, they are in danger. 80 million cubic meters are said to have been cut illegally in ten years. This traffic is sometimes also tainted with human blood (murder of a gamekeeper) and reveals a whole system of corruption (allocation and management of plots, etc.). But the men are watching. The NGO Agent Green has set up a clever system called "tree screening". This device, placed high up in the trees, sends out a signal as soon as it detects vibrations linked to chainsaws. Equipped with a solar panel, it is connected to a telephone which automatically transmits the call to the FDA. NGOs have also lodged a complaint with the European Commission against the country's government for destroying this age-old heritage.
Waste management: a major challenge
Waste is another highly sensitive issue in Romania, with its many health and environmental impacts. Waste management systems are inadequate in most of the country, and there are still open dumps where waste is incinerated, in defiance of all regulations and public protection. Selective collection is virtually non-existent, recycling rates are low and the situation can be critical in Bucharest, where waste is sometimes abandoned along roadsides. The low cost of waste treatment in Romania has generated a large number of imports from Western European countries, a phenomenon accentuated by China's ban on the import of certain types of waste. Once again, a wind of corruption is blowing through what has become a veritable traffic. Tires, medical waste and other illegal products end up in the incinerators of the country's cement works. There are few border controls, and Romania is becoming the dustbin of Western Europe. In addition, the sanitary and ecological situation in the vicinity of landfills is problematic. In 2018, the country was condemned by the European Court of Justice for failing to close 68 landfills.
Air and water pollution
In addition to toxic emissions from cement plants, Romania, and especially its towns and cities, suffer from poor air quality, due to vehicle emissions - from the old Western European diesel fleet - but also from other types of fossil fuel combustion (industry, heating and thermal power stations). Water treatment is also inadequate, contributing to environmental contamination. The waters of the Danube and its delta carry a host of pollutants all the way to the Black Sea. Civil society is taking action, and in 2020 organized rallies as part of Fridays For Future. Events held in Bucharest aimed to raise awareness not only of the climate cause, but also of air pollution. In addition, NGOs are proposing solutions such as bicycle lanes, electric buses, green spaces and more.
Industrial liabilities
Romania bears the scars of several ecological disasters linked to its industrial history. Geamana is perhaps the symbol of this. All that remains of this small village in the north-east of the country is the church steeple, barely rising above a lake... of mud waste. The commissioning of one of Europe's largest copper mines in 1985 led the regime in power at the time to sacrifice this village to the extraction residues, mixed with chemicals and lime, to which heavy-metal-laden water is added in rainy weather. The level of the lake continues to rise, forcing the remaining inhabitants to move their homes once again. More recently, the Baia Mare accident in 2000 caused tons of cyanide and heavy metals to spill into the surrounding rivers. The pollution then spread to Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine, with dramatic consequences for biodiversity. It should be noted, however, that a gold mine project in Roșia Montană, Transylvania, which was to have been operated by a Canadian company, is no longer supported by Bucharest. The project, in fact, would have had numerous environmental and health impacts, including deforestation and expropriation.
