ADMINISTRATION OF PROTECTED AREAS IN ROMANIA: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Nature conservation is the second environmental priority at global level. Romania has an outstanding biodiversity at European and global level and its environmental policy mirrors, at least in the last years, the global perspective. The paradigm shift in nature conservation and ambitious goals set by the European environmental policy gave an important impetus in this area. The paper aims to give insights on how the main nature conservation tool – protected areas – is applied in Romania. In this respect there are analyzed the institutional capacity and the European integration process by considering the legal framework, respectively the funding of nature conservation projects. Out of the twelve ecosystem approach principles, decentralization of decision at local level is the most important change to be noticed, while as long as economic context is regarded the main source of income remain public funding by specialized programs