This is a list of protected areas of

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. About 5.18% of the area of Romania has a protected status (12,360 km²), including the Danube Delta, which makes half of these areas (2.43% of Romania's area).

National parks

There are 14 national parks totaling 3,223 km²:

Proposed hunting

The

Romanian parliament The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament in Bu ...

discussed in September 2008 a bill aiming to open 13 national parks to sustainable

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

, in order to manage the wildlife

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

in these areas and promote greater tourism and the accompanying revenue necessary to support and maintain the parks. However, after several protests from environmental organizations, the law was rejected by President

Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions between 1991 ...

. Nowadays, hunting is prohibited in national parks of Romania.

Natural parks

There are 17 natural parks totaling 5,492.33 km²:

Natural reserves

Natural reserves are natural areas protected by law in order to protect and conserve important habitats and natural species. The dimensions of natural reserves vary and depend on the area needed by protected natural elements. Besides scientific activities, the administrations of natural reserves encourage traditional activities and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

that do not affect the natural landscape. Here is not permitted to use

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

s. There are 617 natural reservations totaling 2,043.55 km².

Scientific reserves

Scientific reserves are also protected areas that, like the previous ones, aim at protection and preservation of natural habitats. The difference is that scientific reserves can not be visited by tourists. These areas typically contain rare plant and animal species or particular natural elements, reason why here are prohibited any human activities, excepting research and education activities. Entry without permission in scientific reserves is punishable by considerable fines. There are 55 such reservations totaling 1,112.77 km².

Natural monuments

There are 234 natural monuments totaling 77.05 km².

References

External links

World Resources Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Protected Areas Of Romania

National parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

Protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...