The Necessity to Expand the Surface of Protected Areas in Romania

Abstract

The protected natural areas are those areas where we find the most representative and
valuable elements of the natural heritage (heritage). On the Globe there are a multitude of categories,
of ranks of protected areas, from nature monuments, to National Parks and Biosphere Reservations,
from areas under one hectare to hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. The EU has in the field of
nature protection the European Ecological Network Natura 2000; this network consists of more than
26 000 protected sites covering aprox. 20% of the EU's land area. This is the largest, more complex
network of environment protection in the world. It provides protection for endangered European species
and habitats and, indirectly, contributes to the prosperity of the countries on whose territory it is
implemented, through the ecological services provided. In Romania, at the level of 2018, the total
protected areas represent about 23.65% of the total area; compared to other European countries, the
area of these protected areas should be increased. But beyond the comparison with other countries, the
need to increase the area of protected areas lies in the fact that, in the context of climate change on
Earth, the only way in the future to safely address their effects is to protect the environment and to
reduce as much as possible the anthropic “footprint”.