Romanian Government must not give green light for deliberate destruction of the national park and Natura 2000 site!
Europe’s greatest wilderness under siege today: Romanian state forestry Romsilva manages most of the countrie’s national parks. The company now wants to drastically increase logging allowance in Semenic Mountains, a Natura 2000 European protected area, national park and part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”. Areas of strict protection, such as nature reserves within the park will be open for commercial logging according to the leaked draft of the new management plan obtained by Agent Green investigators today.
In fact the non-intervention zone of the park would be reduced by 5527 hectares in comparison with the management plan that was approved by the Scientific Council and the Romanian Academy (Timisoara). This means that the non-intervention area will decrease from 47,5% to only 32% of the park’s surface. This takes Romania even further away from IUCN requirements which do not allow commercial exploitation of resources in national parks such as logging. Non intervention core zones should include most of the park’s surface, at least 75%.
Semenic – Cheile Carasului national park and Natura 2000 site hosts the European Union’s largest primeval forest remain, the almost 5000 ha large Izvoarele Nerei forest. Most of this outstanding natural treasure has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” in July 2017. The forests of Semenic mountain shelter thousands of species of flora and fauna. Grey wolves and brown bears roam free in these woods.
NGOs EuroNatur and Agent Green call on the Romanian Government to refuse this scandalous managament plan!
Instead of giving approval for the continued destruction of pristine nature in national parks the Romanian Government urgently needs to start a fundamental reform to improve the countrie’s badly managed national park system. Romsilva runs most of Romania’s national parks and thus is accountable for massive destruction of nature in these areas. Key points of this reform have to be…:
- enlarge core zones of the national parks according to international standards (at least 75% of surface)
- halt commercial logging in all Romanian national parks
- include all primary and old growth forests in national parks in the core zones
- adopt a modern and independent national park management system, following best practice models like in Sweden, Germany or Austria; and
- provide private forest owners within the national park boundaries with appropriate compensation.
Sign the petition to prevent the planned and irreparable degradation of the paradise forests!
More information:
See the scandalous destruction of forests in Semenic national park:
Video “Out of Control – Episode 2”
BACKGROUND-DOSSIER – OUT OF CONTROL – The tragedy of logging in Romania’s national parks
Press release by Agent Green (Romanian language).
