UN report on the protection of the Danube-Carpathian area

Well known for its natural treasures, the Danube-Carpathian area is in jeopardy, according to the UN Environmental Program, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Eurac Research Centre.

Illegal logging, trading in protected species, most notably sturgeon, and diverting mountain springs, are threatening biodiversity in the area, in spite of European and international legislation on nature protection. This year, UNESCO, noting their exceptional natural value, declared a part of its world heritage 24,000 ha of virgin forests in Romania, as well as 5,500 ha of beech forests and virgin forests in the Carpathians and the Podillya region of Ukraine. In addition, forests in the Carpathians are home to the largest populations of large carnivores, which, in spite of international legislation and EU conventions, continue to be poached. WWF Romania has been working in this region for over 10 years, running projects to preserve the biological diversity of wild species and natural ecosystems. Orieta Hulea, WWF Romania general manager, told us:

"Romania is of inestimable value, with its virgin or near-virgin forests. WWF Romania, along with other environmental organisations, has begun an ample process of identifying these areas. We started with an estimation made for about 200,000 ha, six or seven years ago. Then we started  field evaluations, with systematic scanning of surfaces, but the process of including these surfaces, confirmed as virgin forests by scientific process, in the Virgin Forest Catalogue, which was set up last year, is a laborious one. Where forests are under state property, the process is easier, they go under strict protection right away. However, in terms of private forests, the process encounters obstacles, because forest owners agree to have forests protected with great difficulty. Which is why, in order to protect forests that go into the catalogue and make the process easier, we need to have available compensation for private forest owners. Then we confront illegal logging. Things have been done, things have improved through closer monitoring and control, but illegal logging is still going on. That is why Romania needs to set up a Forestry Inspector General Office, a system of tracing wood mass, allowing the real time identification of such situations, followed by intervention, in conclusion: control and intervention."

In the last three decades, sturgeon fishing has gone down over 99% all over the world, as the populations were severely depleted. In the Danube basin we find the last viable sturgeon populations on the entire continent. In order to protect this category of fish, the ban on fishing sturgeon has been extended by five more years last year. Of the six sturgeon species in the Danube basin, one is extinct, and the other five are threatened. Orieta Hulea, WWF Romania General Manager, told us about it:

"Sturgeon fishing is strictly prohibited. Special permits are issued only for scientific research. However, we are faced with poaching, and there we have a long way to go. We published a report a few years ago on caviar smuggling. Some seizures have been made, a year ago a huge quantity of meat and caviar was seized. The Border Police is making efforts to this end, but these efforts have to be concentrated, and we worked very closely with fishing communities along the Danube. There are social problems there, and poaching is a way of supplementing resources in those communities. Therefore we have to offer all sorts of opportunities, mechanisms that offer additional opportunities to the people inclined to run afoul of the law, allowing them to supplement their income."

Experts also warn of the extinction of protected bird species in the Danube-Carpathian area. Tens of millions of birds are hunted illegally in the Mediterranean area every year, and that goes for Romania as well. Orieta Hulea:

"Right this year, the authorities in Italy seized from Italian hunters birds that had been shot in Romania. We are talking about small birds that reach West European countries. Some of the birds were under international protection. There was another case, at the border with Hungary, where several thousands of birds were seized. It seems that there is a demand in Western countries, especially Italy, for these birds, which are served in restaurants as delicatessen. The impact is devastating for these small birds, with an important role in the ecosystem."

The Danube-Carpathian area is believed by the authors of the study to be one of the most important regional ecosystems in the world, it needs sustainable management and close collaboration between national agencies and the states in the region in terms of information exchange and law enforcement. In addition, what is needed is enforcement of EU laws on nature and wildlife, including the European Union's action plan against smuggling wild species.