Annals. Food Science and Technology 2009 SOME ASPECTS CONCERNING WETLAND RESTORATION PROGRAMS IN THE PRUT RIVER BASIN S. Mircea 1, N. Petrescu 2, D. Badarau 3 1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 59 Marasti Boulevard, Sector 1, Bucharest, Romania, 2Valahia University-Targoviste, Romania 3Romanian Waters -Prut River Branch, Iasi, Romania E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The paper presents some aspects concerning the technical solutions identified for the ecological restoration of some wetlands from the Lower Prut floodplain, located both on Romanian and Moldavian sides, recently implemented within some international environmental projects. There are the confluence area between Elan and Prut Rivers in Romania, respectively the —Lower Prut“ Scientific Reserve, in Moldova. Both locations have a significant importance either in terms of biodiversity conservation, flood control, or alluvia and nitrates mitigation. The ecological restoration solutions for the Lower Elan/Prut River have in view the improvement of hydrological conditions in the confluence area as well as soil erosion control in the watershed, by land-use restructuring and afforestation of arable and pastures lands that are severe degradated by water erosion and/or by a high salt content. As regard to the —Lower Prut“ Scientific Reserve, in Moldova, due to the major threats on it, such as: natural resources overexploitation - reed, wood, fish, eutrophication, oil pollution etc., all of these often correlated with a totally inappropriate management of the Reserve, the project intended, as a first phase, the elaboration of a —Management and Ecological Rehabilitation Plan of the Reserve œ Implementing and Monitoring“, as well as, later on, the analyzing of possibilities for extension to the North of the Scientific Reserve and setting-up of —Trilateral Biosphere Reserve“ between Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Keywords: ecological restoration, wetlands, biodiversity reconstruction, soil erosion, pollution 1. INTRODUCTION Restoration of large areas of wetlands is also one of the three targets of the WWF Living In broad sense, pollution remains a serious Waters Programme and is a key area of work problem both in the Danube Catchment and for the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme. River. The amount of nutrients œ coming This project will demonstrate how national, mainly from agricultural fertilizers, household regional and local policies, plans and strategies products and urban sewage œ entering the river can be amended to facilitate large-scale is too high. This is one of the main reasons wetland restoration, and contribute to why the ecology of the Black Sea is at risk. successful implementation of the EU Water Toxic substances are also a key threat and have Framework Directive, within a major river been made worse by mining accidents and basin. floods that flush toxins directly into Importantly, the catastrophic flooding events in watercourses. The United Nations for Europe in the summer of 2002 have focused Development Program (UNDP), with the the attention of the media, public, and support from the Global Environment Facility governments upon the search for sustainable (GEF), has been working to address priority approaches to river basin management, in line environmental problems in the Danube since with the WFD. Wetlands and floodplains are 1992. The Danube Regional Project (DRP) is central to such sustainable approaches and can the latest phase of this work. One of the be expected to receive greater attention in the primary aims of the DRP is to reduce nutrients immediate future. pollution in the Danube. The UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project has 1.1. Projects‘ site description and their identified wetland restoration as one potential environmental importance method for reducing pollution in the Danube Being a transboundary river between Romania River by nutrients and toxic substances. and Moldova, the Prut River is one of the most Available on-line at www.afst.valahia.ro 271 Vol. 10, Issue 1, 2009 Annals. Food Science and Technology 2009 important rivers from hydrological, ecological the spring time and the wet seasons, being less and socio-economic point of view. As a whole, affected by human influence. A large number the Prut River catchment is also very important of migrating water birds use the area for resting from biodiversity point of view, especially and feeding. During the summer seasons the because a number of 225 bird species have water table become lower, but many lower been identified here. It represents also a very spots still remain wet over the summer time. important fly route of migration for many bird The floodplain in this area is often flooded both species. Inside this basin have been identified by the Elan River and by the backwater coming three Important Bird Areas (IBA), among them from the Prut River (when the discharges on being also situated the lower part of the Elan Prut are high), [1]. River catchment. In this IBA a number of 123 A special quality of this area is the quietness bird species have been recorded, out of which and openness of large parts of the floodplains 79 species are nesting here and 99 bird species and the absence of roads and buildings. This is are used to be a criteria for the identification of a quality that is becoming very scarce in the IBA. Europe and is worth conserving in some places. The Prut River, one of the main tributaries of The Moldavian Lower Prut River is located in Danube River, forms practically the border the South-Western part of Moldova, between between Moldova and Romania. the localities Cantemir and Giurgiulesti, having The Elan River (which confluence is situated at a length of 147 km (see the map attached), a some 120 km upstream of the confluence of total surface of 19,125 ha of floodplain, out of Prut River with the Danube River) is one of the which some 6,114 ha represent wetlands of largest tributaries of the Prut, having a length International importance. of 73 km and a watershed of 606 km 2 (see the map attached). The multi-annually average discharge of Elan River is about 0.45 cm/sec and the maximum discharge, of 16.1 cm/sec œ that was recorded on August 16, 2002. Figure 2 Location of Lower Prut Scientific Reserve Project - MD The Lower Prut floodplain is of regional importance for groundwater recharge, flood Figure 1 Location of Elan/Prut River Project - RO control, nutrient and sediment trapping, and it does support an imposing list of rare and Lower part of the Elan River floodplain threatened species of wetland flora and fauna. (between Murgeni Locality and the confluence There are included here species like herons, with the Prut River), having a surface of about egrets, cormorants, storks, swans and the 170 km 2, looks like a delta, especially during globally threatened White pelican. Available on-line at www.afst.valahia.ro 272 Vol. 10, Issue 1, 2009 Annals. Food Science and Technology 2009 On the lower stretch of the river to its The specific site selection criteria were as confluence with the Danube River, the Lower follows: Prut Scientific Reserve (1,691 ha) has been 1. Is the area typical of the ecosystems, and/or designated for the protection of some of the last socio-economic threats and pressures, natural floodplains in Moldova‘s Lower prevailing in this part of the Danube River Danube Region. The Reserve is included on the basin? Ramsar List of Wetlands of International 2. Is there an accessible base of information, Importance, the only one which was designated (e.g. previous land-use or management in June 2000, and it is a valuable component of studies, water management information, the Lower Danube Green Corridor (LDGC) in biological surveys, or regional/rural Moldova. At present, the Reserve is facing development assessments, on the area? serious problems due to the regulation of the 3. Are there active, credible stakeholders Prut River upstream, over fishing, nutrient working on land-use issues in the area? pollution and eutrofication, as well as pressures 4. Are new or strengthened plans for wetland from local resource overuse and poaching. Fish restoration arising from the pilot project harvests have been decreasing markedly in likely to find support not only from local recent years, forests are generally seen to be stakeholders but also from local/regional/ deteriorating, and quite a few adverse national governmental agencies and conservation factors have been listed as authorities ? requiring attention. 5. Will the selection of the area contribute to The designation of a UNESCO Biosphere the body of knowledge on nutrient reduction Reserve is planned over a larger area than the and/or pollution control and/or flood currently site. Its establishment and the control? strengthening of the management of the reserve 6. Does the area support multiple uses or would be in line with the agreement signed benefits in the form of socio-economic between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine for opportunities and other environmental goods the establishment of a trilateral Biosphere and services? Reserve, including the already existing 7. Is the area of significant value for Biosphere Reserves in the Danube Delta of biodiversity, nature conservation, and Ukraine and Romania (having a total area of wetland management? 46,672 ha), which is an important component of 8. Will the selection of the area for pilot studies the Lower Danube Green Corridor Project. contribute to the body of knowledge relevant for implementing the Water Framework 1.2 Selection of the Project Sites Directive ? 9. Are there significant threats or land-use Three pilot areas have been selected in the pressures on the wetland/floodplain Danube River Watershed, based upon the resources? criteria listed below, and they were proposed to Based on the above mentioned questionnaire, the UNDP/GEF project team for their there were evaluated about ten project proposal agreement.