Foto Delta » Nature

Birds protected on Danube

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:24:37 +0000

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Romania started a public-private partnership project Life Nature, estimated at 1.3 million euros, to help preserve two endangered bird species on the Danube river, the red duck and the small cormorant, declared for NewsIn the project coordinator, Cristian Tetelea.

Out of the total 1.3 million euros, the European Union (EU) contributes 979,000 euros and WWF Austria another 150,000 euros. Each of the other partners finances the project, which will last until December 2012.

Both species are in danger of extinction at international level and Romania is home to the largest number in Europe. It is estimated that less than 39,000 pairs of red ducks and fewer than 18,000 small cormorants still live in on the continent and almost one third of them can be found in Romania and a few thousands in Bulgaria.

The two species are protected within the perimeter of the Danube Delta, but the bird population spread along the Danube, in Romania and Bulgaria, continues to be under threat by human activity. Waste disposal along water flows, the excessive use of fertilizers in fisheries and large-scale tourism impacts on the quality of the habitats.

The main aim of the transnational project Life Nature, implemented in Romania and Bulgaria, is to ensure favorable conditions to preserve the two species.

The WWF Danube-Carpathian program aims to preserve nature and ecological processes in Romania and in the Danube and Carpathian mountains areas by initiating, developing and supporting projects for maintaining biological diversity, wildlife and natural ecosystems.

NEWSIN

Danube Delta flora

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:18:14 +0000

The Delta’s flora, totaling 955 species and 64 subspecies, is representing 1/3 of the total known number of species from the whole Romanian flora.
The dominance of the aquatic element has as a result the development of puddle’s vegetation, especially of the reed, which occupies an area of 235000 ha, the largest in a world reed area. Biogeographically, there is a prevailance of the euro-asian elements, followed by the eastern and European elements. Inside the floral spectrum we can observe the high percent of adventive and cosmopolite species, which emphasize once more the high degree of anthropique impact.
Depending on the biotope it occupies, we meet the following spontaneous flora: aquatic, emersing and submersing, palustrian, chalofile, psamofile, forest and pastures. The aquatic vegetation lacustrian-palustrian is wide spread and represented by submersed vegetation (lycopodes ) or floating vegetation (water-lilies, puddling thistles etc. ). It follows the palustrian vegetation represented by reed (Phragmites australis), mixed with bulrush (Typha latifolia and T. angustifolia ), scouring rush (Schoenoplectetus lacustris) and sedge ( Carex ).

The Floating Reed Islet, as one the most representative delta’s formation stays as a dense knitting of rhizomes and aquatic plants roots, vegetal rests and alluvia ooze. It is wide spread in lakes as Matita-Merhei and Rosu-Puiu.

As an apart unit can be considered the sea sands, where the vegetation is graded from the beach sand with Cakile maritime, Salsola ruthenica , to the high dunes with Elymus sabulosus, Artemisia maritima etc.
The terrestrial vegetation occupies reduced areas and it appears only on high sand banks, as: Letea, Caraorman, Chilia, Stipoc and various fluvial banks. It is represented by mixed forests, willow water meadows and pastures. The mixed forests are populated by white and black poplar Populus alba and nigra , oak, Quercus robur, white willow, Salix alba , elm trees, Ulmus levis etc.., as well as a serie of bushes (hazel tree, sweet briar, etc.). A characteristic of these forests is the presence of hanging plants, as lianas, Periploca grace, the wild grape ( Vitis silvestris ). The willow water meadows are met on the high banks along the river and the pastures occupies reduced areas.

Danube Delta – Geography

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:54:38 +0000

Every year, the alluvium deposited by the Danube increases the width of the Delta by around 40 meters, making it extremely dynamic. Near Tulcea, the Danube is divided in three river branches before it flows into the Sea: Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe (Saint George), but many other channels split the Delta into areas with reed, marshes and forests, some of which are flooded during the spring and autumn.

About 44 km off the coast of the Danube Delta lies Snake Island, a territory which has been claimed by both Romania and Ukraine but is currently administered by Ukraine.

In 2004, Ukraine inaugurated work on the Bistroe Channel that will provide a navigable link from the Black Sea to the Ukrainian section of the Danube Delta. The European Union urged Ukraine to shut it down, because it will damage the wetlands of the Delta. The Romanian side, committed to protecting the delta, said they will sue Ukraine at the International Court of Justice.

In 1991, Danube Delta became part of the World Heritage List, and, together with 812 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.