Almost 100 hectares of forests in Romania’s Cindrel Mountains have been illegally logged, Greenpeace Romania said, quoted by Agerpres. Meanwhile, the Sibiu Forests Department and the Brasov Forestry Guard are ignoring these violations of the Forests Code, the organization added.

The more than eight illegal loggings took place in the Sadului Valley, in central Romania’s Sibiu county. The organization says it notified the Sibiu Forests Department and the Brasov Forestry Guard but the institutions have answered in an unsatisfactory way. Because of this, Greenpeace is asking the Waters and Woods Ministry to intervene and investigate the situation.

“All these measures will not be able to replace the forest that is gone and will not do anything to help the fauna in the area, which suffered because of the logging […] We know that the older the forest is and the less invasive the human intervention, the stronger and healthier it is,” said Ionuț Apostol, campaign director with Greenpeace Romania.

The Sibiu Forests Department and the Brasov Forestry Guard checked the notifications they received and answered that everything was all right, according to Greenpeace. They also “levied ridiculous fines in one case,” the NGO said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors of the Brasov Court and officers of the Brasov Police Inspectorate performed, on June 28, 36 searches at the homes of employees of Forests Departments in the Brasov county. Some of the employees are suspected of having allowed illegal tree cutting for the purpose of selling or processing, News.ro reported.

Greenpeace highlights top areas for illegal logging in Romania

editor@romania-insider.com