WWF: Romania’s natural habitats are under great pressure- economic lobbying stronger than environmental voice

Despite the fact Romania can still be proud of its virgin forests, unspoiled stretches of rivers and the majority of Europe's bear population, the natural environment in this country is under great pressure, said Magor Csibi, the Programme Manager of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Romania. “In this context when the world economy is in crisis and most companies have become used to short-term high profits, the behavior of most political and economic players is either hostile or indifferent to the environment,” said Magor Csibi. Also, in his opinion, “the economic lobby is far more powerful compared to the environmental movement”. One of Romania’s main environmental problems highlighted by the WWF Manager is possible “full disclosure for legal wood cutting” through the new Forest Code currently in Parliament, given that Romania’s forest area is 9 percent below the European average. Magor Csibi also thinks that the green certificates scheme should be revised and the Romanian authorities should pay more attention when granting permits for construction of small hydropower plants. “A growing number of projects for building small hydropower plants are proposed for approval, most of them in areas with particularly valuable biodiversity, in the middle of protected areas, without taking into account the public utility, the impact on the environment or the efficiency, causing massive destruction in our country’s mountains” he said. Responsibility is a “must have” of the 21 century, according to Magor Csibi, and companies should admit their role and real impact in society and should also realize that not only the environment is threatened by the lack of responsible policies, but also society and medium and long-term profits. The WWF organization was founded in 1961 and is currently active in over 100 countries worldwide. WWF Romania was established in 2006. The organization is headquartered in Bucharest and has two other branches in Brasov and Baia Mare. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: Sxc.hu)