ESTIMATING THE NECESSARY COSTS FOR NATURA 2000 NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN ROMANIA

Estimating the necessary costs for the operation of Natura 2000 Network represented a constant concern at the European Union level throughout the years. For Romania, this approach is in an early stage. In this context, the main objective of the present paper targets the estimation of the necessary finance for the management of Natura 2000 Network that has been established in Romania. The research methodology presupposed the design of a questionnaire that was submitted for filling in by all the component sites of the network. The obtained data made it possible to calculate the unit cost, which was extrapolated to the entire Network. The results reveal that Romania is in the category of EU New Member States where the average costs per hectare are generally lower than those from the EU Old Member States.