Romania

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 covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Romania cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of Romania's terrestrial area is designated as protected areas, which is below the EU average of 26.4% with the target of 30% to be reached at the EU level by 2030, as set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy. In the marine waters of Romania, protected areas coverage has reached which is significantly above the EU mean value of 12.1%.

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Number of protected areas

Romania has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Romania the majoirity of protected areas in the terrestrial environment are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites, indicating their importance in conserving biodiversity and natural habitats. An additional of the protected areas hold dual designations, falling under both the Birds and Habitats Directives as well as national laws. The remaining of the protected areas are designated solely under national laws.
In the marine waters of Romania, the majority of protected areas, accounting for , are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites.

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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 Romania 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 Romania presents a heterogeneous picture, with protected areas between 10-100km² representing the 45%.

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Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Romania cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Romania under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Romania 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.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Romania, 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%.

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Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Romania, 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%.

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Conservation Status by Taxa

In Romania, 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%.

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Habitats protected in Romania under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Romania hosts habitat types, which is approximately 37.3% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Romania

Conservation status of habitats

In Romania, 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%.

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Protected habitat composition by group

In Romania, 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.

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Conservation status by group

In Romania 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%.

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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%).

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%.

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