LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
The management of Retezat National Park must be based on a Management Plan. The drawing up of a Management Plan requires the involvement of "scientists, institutions, administrative hierarchies, organisations and individuals" all of whom will have varied goals and perceptions. (Slocombe, 1995).
A Management Plan must clearly define the specific role that Retezat will play in regional development and it must develop linkages with other sectors of society as "protected areas cannot exist without people." (Meganck and Saunier, 1995). The most critical issue at Retezat is the ownership and management of the grazing pastures, however the level of dialogue between the local communities and the various responsible bodies has been low so far. (IUCN, 1995a, p. 43).
The mechanisms and theory of participation have been brought to the fore of development thinking through the new emphasis on sustainability, attributable in part to Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1995). The management of Retezat requires the participation of the local communities, without their involvement the protection of the ecologically valuable sub-alpine pastures and the forests is quite simply impossible.
A Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded "Conservation Plan" project, which is being undertaken by the international consultants Geomatics (Go to WEB site), is near to completion of its preparatory phase, although some aspects, including the administrative structure for Retezat, are still under discussion.
The present proposal involves a park Administrative Unit at Retezat managed by an Administrative Council composed of local "stakeholders." Management would consist of implementation of a "locally prepared" Management Plan which would also have to be approved by the Government. (Ministry of Waters Forests and Environmental Protection).
The proposed structures may represent the best feasible option, and given the administrative constraints (outlined on Page 3) they represent a radical renegotiation of power. It is not yet clear if the Retezat Commission will be reinvigorated through this process, nor how real participation can be achieved. However, the design of appropriate primary research and capacity-building projects (such as those described on Page 4) can be used to strengthen all aspects of administrative capacity and help to ensure empowerment and success.