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Environmental information systems
Romania is a large country consisting of the Carpathian Mountains, hills, plains and the large Danube Delta with a terrestrial area of close to 238,000km² and a marine area above 29,500km². It is bordered by 5 other countries. The highest point is Moldoveanu Peak at 2,544m. Romania has a population of 19 million people and a population density of 81.6 people per km².
of land
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, falling below the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 0.3%, below the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In the majoirity of protected areas in the terrestrial environment are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites. In the marine waters of , the protected areas, accounting for , are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
The size distribution of the protected areas network in terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². Only about 1% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km2. The distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of presents a heterogeneous picture, with protected areas between 10-100km2 representing the 45%.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 18% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 63% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 545. They are followed by arthropods, accounting for 11% of protected species, and vascular plants, representing 9%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that amphibians have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 75.3%. Following closely behind are reptiles, with 69% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, fish exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 24.3%, while other invertebrates also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status at 20%.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 37.3% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In , 68.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is considerably above the EU average of 14.7%. The proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 3.4 %, is largely below the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In , the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 27.5% of the total. Following behind are grasslands, encompassing 17.2% of the protected habitats.
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that grasslands have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 94.5%. Following behind are rocky habitats, with 93.7% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, bogs, mires and fens exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 16.6%, while forests have a proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 6.2%.
Romania is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 55.2% of the country, followed by forest ecosystems occupying 34.2% of the land area. However, Romania has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (5.3%), heathlands (3.03%), rivers and lakes (1.8%), and wetland ecosystems (0.5%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 56.8% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 31.5% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Rivers and lakes account for 6.5% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within aquatic environments. Heathlands contribute to 2.4% of the protected areas, while wetlands represent 1.8%, and urban areas comprise 0.9%.