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THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS


Information Requirements

Probably the most important weakness which must be addressed is the need for an effective system for gathering, storing and communicating information. Unfortunately Romania's National Biodiversity Strategy (MWFEP,1996b) does not contain sufficient elaboration of specific actions and its information content is too weak to facilitate practical planning at the national level. At present the constraints must be addressed at a local level and nothing is more useful for planning than an accurate and complete Resource Map of the park area showing:

  • administrative boundaries
  • elevations
  • geological features
  • habitats
  • cultural artefacts and features (see Harman, 1994)

No map showing these features is generally available and none of the sources referred to on this site contains even a boundary map. UNESCO Pronatura issue a very simple map for the use of vistors to Retezat. (Go to this Map)

Information is fundamental to any process leading to effective biodiversity conservation

Funding for Research

International funding, particularly small research grants, has been found to play an important role during the early stages of developing Protected Areas through catalysing domestic resources, raising awareness and generating public support. A number of simple and practical Research and Promotional activities have been undertaken in other countries (see IUCN, 1995a, pp. 53, 56), many of which could also be carried out at Retezat National Park with the assistance of research students and relatively small funds:

  • ecosystem inventories
  • habitat surveys
  • mapping
  • videos, publications and public awareness
  • establishing Visitor Centres
  • securing boundaries

Funding for such activities may be available from the European Union under PHARE (Go to WEB site), however applications have to be initiated by National Authorities and presented to the European Commission by designated official co-ordinators.

In 1996 the European Center for Nature Conservation (ECNC) (see Links), which drew up the important Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (for more on this Strategy see Page 6.), held an international conference on "Innovative Funding Opportunities for European Biodiversity" which called for an increase in the Nature Conservation component within PHARE expenditure.

A more appropriate source of funds for carrying out this basic and essential work is the (EU) DG XI LIFE programme (Go to WEB site) which provides grants for environmental projects which;

  • stimulate sustainable development
  • improve environmental quality and the protection of natural areas
  • improve co-operation on administration

With its:

  • pristine glacial geomorphology
  • complex geology
  • endemic plants
  • populations of bear, lynx, wolf, chamois and alpine marmot
  • chalets which could house a Visitor Centre (at Pietrele)
  • disused mill and water wheel (also at Pietrele)
  • unique itinerant transhumance practices

and with the extensive local knowledge and involvement over six years of the students of ProNatura, there is the potential to carry out many and varied research and demonstration projects in the fields of the physical and life sciences, all of which would benefit greatly from LIFE support. In addition, the students of ProNatura have been collecting social science data on grazing land use practices which have not yet been fully documented.

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