NATIONAL AND NATURE PARKS MANAGED BY NATIONAL FOREST ADMINISTRATION ROMSILVA The first protected area in Romania was a management structure specially established in 1994 - Codrul Secular established to ensure the management Slătioara Natural Reserve. The first of the protected area. national park, Retezat National Park, At the initiative of foresters, in 1990 was established in 1935. the establishment of 13 national parks was promoted. Subsequently, in the same year, “Technical guidelines on the management and protection of national parks, nature reserves, nature monuments and forests with recreational functions within the forest area” were Retezat and Munții Rodnei National elaborated and approved. Parks have been designated, since The establishment of the first 3 model 1979, as UNESCO Biosphere structures for the administration of Reserves. national and nature parks for Retezat National Park, Piatra Craiului National HISTORY Park and Vânători Neamț Nature Park (which were to be replicated to the other parks), was done within the project “Biodiversity Conservation Management”, which was carried out Until 1990, forest nature reserves and between 1999 and 2006 by Romsilva, national parks established on the basis the Government of Romania and the of forest management plans were in World Bank. the care of foresters, without having Since the beginning of nature conservation initiatives, Romanian foresters have been actively and directly involved in this field. Constantly supported by specialists from other fields, foresters have acted consistently to protect, complete and ensure the sustainability of the “Romanian Romsilva applies the principles of a modern management of national and forest”(Giurgiu, 1993). nature parks. In addition to the main concerns for the protection of the natural environment, the administration also places special emphasis on aspects related Foresters’ contribution to biodiversity conservation to the conservation and promotion of traditions and cultural aspects specific is found both in the creation and development of the to these areas, the promotion of tourism, ecological education and public legislative and institutional framework, and at the technical awareness. level (research, inventory, monitoring). Ecosystem in Cheile Nerei - Beușnița National Park 1 2 National and nature parks include some of the most spectacular landscapes in Romania. The altitudinal, climatic and soil variety determines a wide range and habitats from mountain forests to alluvial forests, from alpine and subalpine meadows to steppe and forest-steppe. Due to the great avifauna diversity, Balta Mică a Brăilei (2001), Lunca Mureșului (2006), Comana (2011) and Porțile de Fier (2011) Nature Parks, which are managed by Romsilva, have been designated wetlands of international importance NATIONAL PARK RAMSAR. Protected area established with the following purposes: the protection and conservation of representative samples, including natural elements Romsilva manages 22 parks out of the total of 29 designated at national of special value in terms of physical-geographical, floristic, faunal, level, of which: 12 are national parks (with an area of 308 thousand ha) and 10 hydrological, geological, paleontological, speleological, pedological or are nature parks (with an area of 544 thousand ha). other nature, offering the possibility of visiting for scientific purposes, educational, recreational and tourist. Landscape in Retezat National Park The forest area included in the national and nature parks managed by Romsilva is 583 thousand hectares (69%, of which about 171 thousand INFO hectares are included in areas of strict or integral protection, without active intervention). Of the total forest area included in the parks managed by Romsilva, 44% is public property of the state. The sustainable management of the forest area and the unaltered maintenance of some forest ecosystems by foresters, led to the declaration, in 2017, of 24,679.4 hectares of primeval and virgin beech forests, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of these, 24,341.3 ha are made up of 7 components: Cheile Nerei-Beușnița, Codrul Secular Slătioara, Cozia, Domogled-Valea Cernei, Groșii Țibleșului, Izvoarele Nerei and Strâmbu Băiuț which are in the public property of the Romanian state. The UNESCO site called “ Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”, is a cross-border designation located on the territory of 12 countries in Europe, the site totalling 92 thousand ha. NATURE PARK Protected area established with the following purposes: the protection and conservation of landscape ensembles in which the interaction of human activities with nature over time has created a distinct area, with significant landscape and / or cultural value, often with great biological diversity. Mocănița: historical narrow-gauge steam train that is running even presently 3 4 NATIONAL & NATURE PARKS IN ROMANIA Munții Maramureșului S: 133.354 ha Munții Rodnei S: 47.177 ha It matters for the future! Călimani S: 24.556 ha Vânători Neamț S: 30.631 ha Cefa S: 5.002 ha Ceahlău Defileul Mureșului Superior S: 8.396 ha S: 9.156 ha Cheile Bicazului-Hașmaș S: 6.794 ha Apuseni S: 75.821 ha Lunca Mureșului S: 17.455 ha Putna Vrancea S: 38.190 ha Grădiștea Muncelului- Lunca Joasă a Geoparcul Dinozaurilor Cioclovina Piatra Craiului S: 38.184 ha S: 14.766 ha Prutului Inferior Țara Hațegului S: 8.247 ha S: 102.392 ha Cozia Bucegi Retezat S: 16.813 ha S: 32.497 ha S: 38.138 ha Defileul Jiului Delta Dunării Semenic-Cheile Carașului S: 10.942 ha S: 36.052 ha S: 580.000 ha Buila-Vânturarița Domogled-Valea Cernei S: 4.460 ha S: 61.572 ha Munții Măcinului Cheile Nerei-Beușnița S: 11.152 ha S: 36.881 ha Geoparcul Platoul Mehedinți S: 106.000 ha Porțile de Fier Balta Mică a Brăilei S: 128.196 ha S: 24.123 ha Văcăreș Legend S: 183 ha National Park NFA-Romsilva National Park Comana S: 24.963 ha Nature Park NFA-Romsilva Nature Park Delta Dunării Biosphere Reserve 0315 060 Kilometres Autor: Robert PACHE 5 6 Other tourist attractions: Buila - Vânturarița Arnota Monastery, Bistrița Monastery, Pătrunsa Călimani Monastery, Pahomie Hermitage, Iezer Hermitage, National Park Troughs Hermitage, Vătășești Church, The wooden National Park Parcul Naţional Buila church from Albac located in Băile Olănești, Horezu Vânturariţa Monastery. Area: 4.460,00 ha. Location: Vâlcea County, in the south part of the Căpațânii Mountains. Information Points: The information centres are located in Horezu and Râmnicu Vâlcea. Tourist Trails: 19 • Thematic Trails: 4 Landscape from a volcano caldera in Călimani National Park Bolnița Church within Bistrița Monastery Maiden pink The main access points in the park: Băile Olănești, Other relevant information: Cheia, Bărbătești, Pietreni, Bistrița. Area: 24.556,00 ha. The thematic trails (The Gates of the Buila-Vânturarița National Representative flora and fauna species: Location: In the center of the Calimani Mountains, Park – Nature and Spirituality, The Forest Tales and The Junior • flora: mountain avens, globe flower, mountain lily, the north - west area in the middle group of the Eastern martagon lily, edelweiss, lady’s-slipper orchid, dianthus, Ranger) were included among the most beautiful thematic Carpathians, on the territory of the following counties: yellow gentian, white ivy. trails from Romania by the Romanian Ecoturism Association Suceava, Mureș, Harghita and Bistrița-Năsăud. • fauna: badger, chamois, roe deer, red deer, pine marten, and ProPark Foundatin, and the thematic trail ”The roads of Visitor centre: Saru Dornei commune, Suceava County. beech marten, wolf, wildcat, lynx, brown bear, alpine memory- The armed resistance in Arnota” is one of the first Information Points: Panaci and Poiana Stampei, Suceava longhorn beetle, wallcreeper. historical thematic trail dedicated to the anti-communist fight and to honor of the memory of the anti-communist fighters in County. Romania. Tourist Trails : 44 • Thematic Trails: 2 Natural attractions of tourist interest: The main access points in the park: Gura Haitii, Lunca ”The Beautiful Spring” Waterfall located near Pahomie Bradului, Colibița. Hermitage, The Stone House, Bistrița Gorges, Costești Representative flora and fauna species: Gorges, Cheia Gorges, Olănești (Folea) Gorges, Buila- • flora: swiss stone pine, rhododendron, spotted gentian, Vânturarița Ridge, The Priest Chimneys, The lakes from European yew; Cacova Mountain and ”The Stone” Mountain, Curmatura • fauna: brown bear, grey wolf, lynx, capercaille; Builei, The Stone Glade, Arnăuților Cave, Lake Cave, Green Tulip Cave, Bats Cave (The Saint Gregory the Moșul Decapolite Cave). Chamois Swiss pine Natural attractions of tourist interest: The Călimani Mountains are the youngest volcanic mountains in Romania, (peaks alt. over 2000 m) located allover a huge volcanic cone. The horseshoe volcanic caldera has a diameter of about 10 km, being one of the largest in Europe. Calimani National Park is distinguished by “The 12 Apostles”, a group of statues made up of a fairytale world, with suggestive names that stirs the visitors imagination: The Old Man, The Marshal, The Martyr, or The Guter. Other tourist attractions: Calimani National Park is part of Țara Dornelor ecotourism destination. Curmătura Builei 7 National Parks managed by National Forest Administration - Romsilva National Parks managed by National Forest Administration - Romsilva 8 Cheile Bicazului - Natural attractions of tourist interest: Cheile Nerei - Beușnița Hășmaș The Bicaz Gorges, the Red Lake with