NGOs call for urgent approval of Bucharest Văcărești Natural Park’s management plan

Fifty NGOs and civic groups, along with the Bucharest Environmental Platform, have drawn up an open letter calling on Romania’s Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests to urgently approve the Management Plan for the Văcărești Natural Park in Bucharest. They say the plan has been pending approval for nearly a year.

The non-profits noted that critical conservation and restoration efforts cannot proceed without the plan, including measures to revive the park’s drying ponds. According to the Văcărești Natural Park Association, over the past year, these ponds have nearly disappeared due to drought and uncontrolled reed growth.

The NGOs have sent the official letter to environment minister Mircea Fechet and ANANP president Vasile Carnariu, stressing the urgent need for action.

“The loss of ponds in the Văcărești Natural Park has dramatic effects on the biodiversity of the protected area. Over 200 species of plants and animals, some of which are on the red list of species threatened with extinction - such as the great crested newt, the smooth newt, the European fire-bellied toad, the tree frog, and the European pond turtle - are being affected, with some even at risk of disappearing from the protected natural area as early as this year,” reads the letter.

The management plan for the natural area, prepared by the Văcărești Natural Park Administration and submitted for approval back in November 2023, includes measures for the restoration and reconstruction of wetland areas.

The proposed plan outlines actions such as using water from the Dâmbovița River and pumping it into affected areas to maintain a minimum water level. Additionally, it proposes measures to restore temporary ponds, which have also been impacted by drought and high temperatures that begin early in the warm season and extend late into autumn.

“Unfortunately, the extended approval process for the management plan is delaying these crucial activities,” the NGOs noted in their letter.

The area surrounding the Văcărești Lake in Bucharest was declared a nature park with protected area status in 2016. Covering about 183 hectares, it is the first urban nature park in Romania.

The urban delta formed on the site of a former water infrastructure project of the communist regime, abandoned after the 1989 Revolution. The concrete dam surrounding the park still reminds visitors of the initial plans. Nature reclaimed this abandoned lake, transforming it into a green oasis for many species of birds, several mammals and reptiles, and many types of insects.

(Photo source:Asociația Parcul Natural Văcărești)