Hunting will be forbidden in the Danube Delta, except for pests that could breed excessively and lead to ecological disasters, the Environment Ministry recently decided. Pests included in the ministerial order are the jackal, the wolf and the fox, that can be hunted within certain limits imposed by the Environment Ministry.

The aim of the decision is to protect the biodiversity in the Danube Delta. Romania's Environment Minister Rovana Plumb and Regional Development and Tourism Minister Eduard Hellvig signed off a financing contract for the efficient use of natural resources, occasioned by the International Danube Day. The project, worth some EUR 13.7 million, allotted some EUR 9.6 million to Romania to implement the Danube strategy and Romanian – Bulgarian development.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta recently said the Government should have a clear position on the piece of legislation allowing hunting in the Danube Delta reservation. He also added he would never agree with such a measure.

“I will personally never agree to re-start hunting in the Danube Delta. I agree with the Parliament decision, I understand there is no formal decision in this sense and I want to underline that the Government's position on the issue and the mechanism we will use to protect this natural jewel of Romania, so that it is not affected by anything, neither the Parliament, nor the Government or private interest,” said the PM.

The Chamber of Deputies is currently debating an amendment that aims at re-introducing hunting in the Danube Delta, at the initiative of the Democratic Liberal Party MP Vasile Gherasim.

editor@romania-insider.com