Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through Operational Program for Technical Assistance 2007-2013 REPORT 2.6 Report on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) c October 2015 This report relates to the deliverable “Output 2.6 – Report on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)” under the Agreement for Technical Assistance with regard to the Danube Delta Integrated Sustainable Development Strategy between the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration of Romania (MRDPA) and the World Bank for Reconstruction and Development, concluded on 4 September 2013. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................................... 14 2 INFORMATION REGARDING THE DDISDS SUBJECT OF APPROVAL .................................................... 16 2.1 GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE DDISDS ................................................................................... 16 2.2 GEOGRAPHIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE LOCATION ........................................................................................ 21 2.3 PHYSICAL MODIFICATIONS RESULTED FROM THE DDISDS IMPLEMENTATION ................................................. 26 2.4 NATURAL RESOURCES NECESSARY FOR THE DDISDS IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................ 27 2.5 NATURAL RESOURCES WHICH WILL BE EXPLOITED FROM THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY IMPORTANCE IN ORDER TO BE USED FOR THE DDISDS IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................. 27 2.6 EMISSIONS AND WASTE GENERATED BY THE DDISDS AND THE METHODS FOR THEIR ELIMINATION ................... 27 2.7 REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO LAND USE, NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DDISDS ..................... 40 2.8 SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES REQUIRED BY THE DDISDS IMPLMENTATION ...................................................... 43 2.9 DURATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION, FUNCTIONING, DISMANTLING AND THE SCHEDULING OF THE DDISDS IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD ............................................................................................................................. 43 2.10 ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE GENERATED AS RESULT OF THE DDISDS IMPLEMENTATION ...................................... 44 2.11 CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTENT, PROPOSED OR APPROVED PP, WHICH MAY GENERATE CUMULATIVE IMPACT WITH DDISDS AND WHICH MAY AFFECT THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY IMPORTANCE ........................... 55 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST AFFECTED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DDISDS ............................................................................................................ 55 3.1 DATA CONCERNING THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DDISDS ......................................................................................................................... 55 3.2 DATA ABOUT THE PRESENCE, LOCATION, POPULATION AND ECOLOGY OF SPECIES AND/ OR HABITATS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST PRESENT ON THE SURFACE AND IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF DDISDS, MENTIONED IN THE STANDARD DATA FORMS OF THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST.......................................... 83 3.3 DESCRIPTION OF ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE AFFECTED SPECIES AND HABITATS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST (AREA, LOCATION, CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES) AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH ADJACENT NATURA 2000 SITES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION ........................................................................................................................................... 119 3.4 CONSERVATION STATUS OF SPECIES AND HABITATS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST ............................................. 121 3.5 DATA REGARDING THE STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF THE AFFECTED SPECIES POPULATIONS (NUMERICAL EVOLUTION OF POPULATION WITHIN THE NATURA 2000 SITES, ESTIMATIVE PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION OF THE SPECIES AFFECTED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DDISDS, HABITAT SURFACE IS LARGE ENOUGH TO ENSURE THE SPECIES MAINTENANCE ON LONG-TERM) ................................................................................................................... 137 3.6 STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS THAT CREATE AND MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST ................................................................................................. 137 3.7 THE CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES OF THE NATURA 2000 SITES, WHERE WERE ESTABLISHED THROUGH MANAGEMENT PLANS ................................................................................................................................. 138 3.8 DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT STATE OF CONSERVATION OF THE NATURA 2000 SITES, INCLUDING EVOLUTIONS/ CHANGES THAT MAY OCCUR IN THE FUTURE .................................................................................................... 139 4 IDENTIFICATION AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................................................. 156 4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF CURRENT THREATS, PRESSURES AND ACTIVITIES WITH IMPACT ON NATURA 2000 SITES IN THE DANUBE DELTA REGION ............................................................................................................................. 156 4.2 IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL FORMS OF IMPACTS OF DDISDS ............................................................... 168 4.3 IMPACT ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 198 5 MEASURES TO REDUCE IMPACT ON SPECIES AND HABITATS FROM PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST ............................................................................................................................ 247 5.1 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES .............................................................................................. 247 5.2 MONITORING ................................................................................................................................... 252 6 METHODS USED TO COLLECT INFORMATION ON POTENTIALLY AFFECTED SPECIES OF COMMUNITY INTEREST .................................................................................................................................................. 255 6.1 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................ 255 6.2 LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 256 7 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 258 8 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 260 INDEX OF TABLES Table no. 2-1 List of administrative territorial units targeted by the Danube Delta Integrated Sustainable Development Strategy................................................................................................................................ 21 Table no. 2-2 Land occupied, permanently or temporarily, depending on the code and land use category .................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Table no. 2-3 Types of possible activities that will be generated as a result of the implementation of the types of interventions / projects proposed by DDISDS (2030) .................................................................. 45 Table no. 3-1 List of Natura 2000 sites in the study area ........................................................................... 58 Table no. 3-2 Number of types of interventions / projects that intersect SCIs for each sector ................ 71 Table no. 3-3 Number of types of interventions / projects that intersect SPAs for each sector ............... 71 Table no. 3-4 The community interest habitats included in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Forms of the SCIs from the study area ............................................................................................................................ 84 Table no. 3-5 The community interest plant species included in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Forms of the SCIs from the study area ...................................................................................................................... 91 Table no. 3-6 The community interest invertebrate species included in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Forms of the SCIs from the study area ....................................................................................................... 94 Table no. 3-7 Fish species of community interest included in the Natura 2000 factsheets of the SCIs located in the study area .......................................................................................................................... 103 Table no. 3-8 The community interest amphibian and reptile species included in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Forms of the SCIs from the study area ............................................................................. 108 Table no. 3-9 The community interest mammal species (including bat species) included in the Natura 2000 Standard Data Forms of the SCIs from the study area .................................................................... 111 Table no. 3-10 The community interest