Overview and perspectives of protected natural areas in Romania

Under the global environmental changes, the impacts of human-induced activities on habitats and ecosystems have become increasingly high, thus the role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity becomes critical. As a result, protected areas are exposed to a variety of pressures (e.g. biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, land use/land cover changes) posing major threats to ecosystems and their services. Currently, protected natural areas in Romania cover 1,798,782 hectares (7.55% of the national territory). An increased surface of protected areas was a priority of Romania’s following the accession to the European Union (2007), thus having to reach a 17% protected surface of the national territory (from 7% as it had previously been before EU accession) by means of other important conservative tools, such as “Natura 2000” European Network. The current study is aiming to provide a general overview on the natural protected areas in Romania, identify and assess the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and, ultimately propose a strategic vision, for the next twenty years, based on key scenarios in relation to the measures and management guidelines assumed under the EU and national environmental policies. The research was undertaken in the framework of the project entitled: “Natural resources - strategic reserves, what we use and what we leave to future generations” supported by the Romanian Academy.