Romania's Government has adopted a memorandum that sets the steps to be taken for establishing the Fagaras Mountains National Park. The process will be carried out in stages between October 2016 and 2020. The aim is to turn the Fagaras Mountains into a "European Yellowstone", according to a statement from the Government.

The Fagaras Mountains are the most representative and most valuable sector of the Carpathian chain, covering an area of some 2,000 square kilometers. They also include the highest mountain peaks in Romania, Moldoveanu (2,544 meters) and Negoiu (2,535 meters).

The new national park status would support the sustainable economic development of the area, according to the Government. Moreover, by declaring Fagaras Mountains a protected area, the extraordinarily rich natural capital would also be protected and preserved.

A recent Greenpeace report shows that almost 1,000 hectares of virgin forests in the Cumpanita and Cumpana valleys, in Fagaras Mountains, have been destroyed in the last ten years due to illegal logging. The few remaining virgin forests in the area are still under threat, mainly because of logging.

“The Fagaras Mountains National Park will become the most important reservoir of biodiversity in the Carpathian Mountains, with 27 types of natural habitats, 6 species of mammals, 3 types of amphibians, 4 species of fish, 13 invertebrates and 66 types of endemic plants, all of European interest, a clean water reservoir with constant flow, and the largest forest basin in Romania. In terms of surface/richness of biodiversity, this area will become a real <<European Yellowstone>>,” reads the Government’s statement.

A newly created inter-ministerial working group, managed by the Environment Ministry, will be in charge of analysis, planning, and approval process.

“As a first step, the Environment Ministry will initiate a voluntarily public-private collaboration offer addressed to environmental organizations that want to support the long-term establishment of the national park, state institutions, and those who live in the future national park’s area,” reads the statement.

Romania has 13 national parks that cover a total area of some 317,500 hectares. This represents about 1.5% of the country’s territory. At a European level, there are 271 national parks that cover 2.8% of Europe’s surface.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Wikipedia)