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Bystroye Canal Bystroye Canal (Documentary research) 2 3 Content The Danube Delta....................................................................................................................6 The Danube River....................................................................................................................7 The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve - brief presentation.....................................................7 The international recognition of the Danube delta Biosphere Reserve .................................10 Biological diversity ...............................................................................................................10 The Danube Delta Soils .........................................................................................................10 The Delta Vegetation.............................................................................................................11 The Danube Delta Fauna .......................................................................................................13 Ichtyofauna ........................................................................................................................13 Avifauna ............................................................................................................................14 Mammals...........................................................................................................................14 Use of the natural resources..................................................................................................14 Reopening of the Danube-Black Sea deep-water navigable waterway.................................15 Introduction. The danube as the european life-line ...........................................................15 The economic and social rationale of the project..............................................................16 Technical characteristics of the project .............................................................................17 Possible environmental impact ..........................................................................................22 Environmental impact in a transborder context.................................................................24 Designed projects characterization....................................................................................25 1.1 The necessity for a deep water navigable canal to be constructed in the Ukrainian sector of the Danube Delta...........................................................................25 Technological exploitation (navigation) conditions required by the construction of the deep water navigable canal and the exploitation requirements provided by the project ........................................................................................................................28 Comparative evaluation of the potential choices and argumentation with respect to the selection of the examined choices related to the construction of a deep water navigable canal..........................................................................................................29 Characterization of the Solomonov - Jebrianovsk gulf choice related to the construction of the deep water navigable canal ( choice 1 )......................................30 Utilization of the choice related to the construction of a deep water navigable canal on the Bystroye channel (Choice 2) ..........................................................................31 Comparative evaluation of the impact factors of Choice 1 and 2 .............................35 Environmental and impact elements .....................................................................................37 2.1 Natural environment characterization ...............................................................37 2.1.1 Flora.................................................................................................................37 2.1.2 The insects .......................................................................................................39 4 2.1.3 The aquatic fauna ............................................................................................41 2.1.4 The amphibious and the terrestrial vertebrates................................................45 2.1.5 Birds ................................................................................................................48 Environmental and assesment issues.....................................................................................51 3.1 Characterization of the social environment and assessment on the impact elements affecting it ......................................................................................................51 3.2 General assessment with respect to the impact of the designed project on the natural environment.......................................................................................................52 Conclusions ...........................................................................................................................53 Bystroye report ......................................................................................................................58 Impact ....................................................................................................................................67 Local pollution...................................................................................................................67 Fish Communities..............................................................................................................67 Bird Communities .............................................................................................................68 Animal and plant communities..........................................................................................70 The Human Communities..................................................................................................71 Existing Transport Ways .......................................................................................................71 Bystroye alternative ...............................................................................................................71 Navigation versus biodiversity..............................................................................................76 Navigation versus delta dynamics .........................................................................................77 The need for compensation of ecological damage ................................................................78 The need for transboundary cooperation...............................................................................80 Actions...................................................................................................................................80 Facts...................................................................................................................................80 Consequences of the Bystroye project on the Danube Delta Ecosystem..............................81 Demands in reaction to the Ukrainian project development .................................................82 Multilateral and bilateral regulations in the field of environmental protection relevant to the Bystroye channel...................................................................................................................86 Bibliography..........................................................................................................................91 5 The Danube Delta The Danube is the single delta in the world declared a biosphere reserve. The international network of the biosphere reserve totals 352 km in 87 countries. Geographic units: - The Danube river, from Galati city to Sulina town; - The Isaccea - Tulcea floodplain; - The saline plain Murighiol; - The Danube Delta; - The Lake complex Razim-Sinoe; - The black sea coastline, from the Chilia branch mouth to Midia Cape, till 20 depths. Total area: 2 · 5800 km - 2,505 from the total territory of Romania-on the 22nd position in the world and the third in Europe - after Volga and Cuban - one of the worldwide largest wet zones, a water birds habitat. On the 8th position according Ramsar convention which includes 600 wet zones; · area Natural Museum of Biodiversity, which includes 30 types of ecosystems; 2 · the greatest reedbed expenses worldwide 1560 km . The Danube Biosphere Reserve Authority (DDRB) The DDRB was established by the Romanian Government in 1990, a decision confirmed by the Romanian Parliament through law 82 of 1993. The natural patrimony of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is managed by DDRB, for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The main objectives of the DDRB are, as follows: - to provide sustainable measures and protected of the biological diversity; - to enforce the measures for ecological restoration; - to asses the state of the natural resources, the potential for its use, according the capacity of support and the ecosystem’s capacity of support; - to issue licences, for economic activity; - to support the research and the international cooperation activities; - to organize information and ecological awareness activities. 6 In 2000, the DDRB received the European Council Diploma for Protected areas. The Danube River - The Danube River is the second longest in Europe (the first being the Volga River) : · 2840 km length, 81700 km2 · catchments basin - Danube River
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