An area of 90,000 hectares in the protected natural site Nordul Gorjului, in Western Romania, will be protected through a project worth EUR 4.9 million, part of the European program Natura 2000. The area includes 45 natural reservations, among which best known are Cheile Sohodorului (in picture) and Cheile Tismanei. The Romanian – Japan Chamber of Commerce is the Environment Ministry's delegate in this project, the chamber has announced.

The objective of the project is to protect biodiversity and the ecosystems of the area, while developing tourism. The Natura 2000 Networking Programme is funded by the European Commission and managed on their behalf by Eurosite, the European Landowners Organization and the EUROPARC Federation.

Romania has an ambassador of the project listed on its website: Iancu Feroiu from the Romanian Forest Owners Association. A case study of the Vanatori Neamt nature park is also available here.

Romania has proposed 108 Special ProtectionAreas for the Natura 2000 project- 11.8 percent of the country's surface. It has also proposed 273 potential Sites of Community Importance, around 13.2 percent of the country's surface.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Alpinet)