The Danube Delta is undoubtedly a very special place – over the last couple of years, our BirdLife partner in Romania SOR, with support from colleagues here at the RSPB, has been fighting to protect this marvellous place from damaging developments – here’s the story from last year.
We’ve recently had some good news from Marina Cazacu, Danube Delta Casework Officer for SOR; ‘We just had brilliant news that the European Commission have given the Romanian Government a final warning over the damaging tourist development at Sulina, on the Danube Delta coast, which has destroyed over 5 ha of priceless dune habitats.
We complained to the Commission after the project was given consent without going through the proper procedures. I’ve spent many hours surveying the habitats along this piece of coast with a colleague from Faculty of Biology, Bucharest University.
The dunes are home to unique plant communities and rare plants such as the knapweed Centaurea pontica (pictured), which are superbly adapted to the harsh conditions of growing on sand dunes. This place has a special wild beauty. It’s heartbreaking to see it bulldozed to make way for chalets and restaurants, that would be much better placed a few miles inland in Sulina town, which is crying out for inward investment.
We’re not against tourism development in the Delta – far from it, but people want to come to the Delta to experience its wild beauty and nature – they won’t be able to do that if tourist facilities to cater for them destroy it, and large numbers of people degrade these sensitive areas.’
The Romanian government now has two months to satisfy the European Commission that it will put the damage right. Otherwise, the case will go to the European Court of Justice. This case is the tip of the iceberg – there are threats to many protected nature sites throughout Romania. This case sets an important precedent that the Romanian Government needs to get its house in order and uphold the law.
We'll bring you news of how this cases gets on.
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That's great news, Andre.
I visited the Delta in 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's a wonderful place and the people we met there, including the guides were fantastic.
I would go again if I could!
Best wishes, Graham
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