Fourth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

Of the 1785 benthic species cited from the Black Sea 84% are species of marine origin, 10% are allohtonous freshwater and brackish water species while 6% are autohtonous, ponto-caspic relicts.

The coastal ecosystems like wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, oyster reefs, and barrier beaches all provide natural shoreline protection from storms and flooding in addition to their many other services.

Ecosystem-based approaches are cost-effective, ready now and likely to be more accessible to rural and poor communities.

Thus they can align with and enhance poverty alleviation and sustainable development strategies.
2.7 Protected areas and Nature 2000 Network
The Romanian national network of protected area includes: 3 biosphere reserves, 13 national parks, 14 nature parks, 5 Ramsar sites, 1 World Heritage sites, 2 geo-parks, many nature reserves, strict reserves, nature monuments and Nature 2000 sites.

25 of the national and nature parks have administration and almost 300 of the other categories of protected areas are managed by caretakers, on the basis of a custody convention.

The national network of protected area is covering 19 percent of the Romanian territory.

As a member of the EU, Romania had to designate the Nature 2000 network and to insure an appropriate management for the habitats and the species of community interest. The Nature 2000 network in Romania includes 273 sites of community importance (designated according to the Habitats Directive) which are covering 13 % of the national surface and 108 special protection areas (Birds Directive) – 12 %.

The surface covered by all the Nature 2000 sites is 17,8 %
2.8 Preservation Programmes and ex-situ conservation

Ex-situ conservation programs include Zoos, botanical gardens and rehabilitation centers for bears. The objectives of Zoos are the following: conservation of genetic diversity, protection of wildlife by keeping animals, scientific researches, education and environmental awareness.

The legal framework for Zoos is the following:
- Directive 1999/22/EC which was transposed by Law no. 191/2002 of public gardens and aquariums
- The Minister Order no. 742/2004 which regulates the authorization procedure, inventory and the registration of Zoos and public aquariums.
In 2007 the Minister Order no. 742/2004 was repealed by the Minister Order no.1798/2007 to approve the procedure for issuing the environmental permit.

The Minister Order no. 755/2007 regarding the approval of model form for recording each Zoo and public aquarium and the National Register of Zoos and public aquariums.

At the end of 2008 have been recorded 41 Zoos and public aquariums, some of them being part of Romanian Federation of Zoos and Aquariums.

Some Zoos carry out the activities for conservation of species (aurochs) through researches programs, for example researches regarding the anthropogenic pressures on species existing on the coast of the Black Sea, researches regarding the vulnerability of aquatic species and their habitats.

In 2007 it was published the Governmental Decision no. 1500 regarding the measures for programs priority of environmental and water management, which include investments in the infrastructure, in order to achieve the standards for Zoos licensing.

14 Zoos received funds for improving the conditions of wild species and modernization.

The management authority is the Ministry of Environment and the scientific authorities are the Romanian Academy and the Forest Research and Management Planning Institute.

Responsible for:

• 
  issuing permits and certificates is the Ministry of Environment;
  
• 
  controlling commercial activities and internal commercial activities are the National Environmental Guard, in collaboration with the special offices of the Ministry of Internal, Ministry of Industry and Trade;
  
• 
  borders controls is the special customs authorities under the Ministry of Finance;
  
• 
  controlling the movement of live specimens are the Ministry of Environment and the Police;
  
• 
  registering scientist and scientific establishments is the Ministry of Environment in consultation with the Romanian Academy.
  

The import permits are valid not exceed 12 months, depending on the species.

The holders have the obligation, under the Romanian legislative provisions, to return the expired or unused permits (the original and all copies) to the management authority (Ministry of Environment).

For ensure the proper retrospective issue of permits are in place the procedures established by CITES.

Romania was ratified by Law no 69/1994 the Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES). This is the reason for all the measures concerning the export/ re-export of the specimens are in place in concordance, in particular, with the provision of the CITES, including the completed and the used of the forms.

The period of validity of export/re-export permits shall not exceed six months, depending of the species.

The applicants have the obligation, under the Romanian legislative provisions, to return the expired or unused permits to the management authority (Ministry of Environment).

In the cases where a permit is cancelled, lost, stolen or destroyed, it is impossible to obtain other permit.

The import and export permits and the re-export certificates and the import notification are issue of the applicants by the management authority, on the basis of the favourable avis of the Romanian Academy.

The avis of the Academy is given after the analysis of the documentary evidence needed in this field.

The procedures are in concordance also with the CITES provisions and also with the procedure for environmental impact assessment.

The management authority on the basis of the analysis and the assessment of the information needed for this reason (state of the species) granted by the scientific authority can limiting the issuance of the export permits (if the scientific data emphasis that conservation state of the species is inappropriate).

The management authority approves the authorizing of the movement of species listed in Annex A, in concordance with the provisions of the Convention on international transport with species, ratified by the Romania. It is ensuring the adequately informed of the accommodation, equipment and practices and also the preparation of any live specimens before transport or during transit or trans-shipment, so as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.

The checks and formalities for the introduction into and export of the specimens listed in the Annexes are accomplished in all the border customs.

The staffs are not sufficient and adequately trained in this field.

The documentation is checking only at the border customs office. The checks and formalities for the introduction into and export of the specimens listed in the Annexes are accomplished in all the border customs.

The staffs are not sufficient and adequately trained in this field.

The documentation is checking only at the border customs office. It has been set up an inspection system to control.

The procedures are established in concordance with national legislation in this field and it is supported by the personal of the special offices under the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Administration and Internal.

The bodies for criminal prosecution, according to the legal competence shall do the ascertaining and investigation of the offences.

The people have the right of lawsuit with the view of environmental protection, including the trade with the wild species, irrespective of who suffered from the prejudice.

For the public is given the general information on the trade with the wild species of flora and fauna, by mass media.

For the interested people with trade of the wild species is given the detailed information about the formalities required, by the personnel’s customs offices and of the Ministry of Environment’s directorates.

It is supplied to magnetic support all the data on imports into and exports and re-exports from Romania that have taken place on the basis of permits and certificates issued by the management authority.

The management authority collects the data and, communicate the information on the trade with CITES species to the Convention Secretariat.
CHAPTER 3 Cross-sectional and fundamental measures

Table 8 SWOT analysis on environment infrastructures (source POS Environment, 2005)

Strong points	Weak points
Water sector	Water sector
Environment legislation for the water sector harmonised with EU legislation Institutional structures established for an integrated management of the water sector (quality and quantity) concerning the hydrographic basins; Identification of population agglomerations and of the areas vulnerable to pollution with agricultural nitrates Technical expertise of the National Administration “Romanian Waters” for water management, particularly for the protection against flooding; Existing projects for prevention and hydro prognosis developed with US assistance Experience concerning the pre-adhesion funds, particularly the ISPA Program to improve the water services (water supply, waste water treatment, sewage system)	Large investments required to comply with EU requirements (9,500 M euro until 2018) Low administrative capacity to implement the legislation of the water sector Extremely low developed infrastructure for waste water treatment (waste water treatment plants and collection systems), particularly in Regions 8 and 4; Insufficient centralized systems for water supply and sewage particularly in rural areas; Insufficient data to characterise drinking water quality at the national level; Poor quality of the drinking water supplied to the population due to old pipes and discontinuation in drinking water supply; Insufficient allocation of funds for protection against flooding (there still are 2050 localities that require protection against flooding) Size of the agricultural areas affected or that may be affected by pollution with agricultural nitrates
Waste management	Waste management
Full transposition of EU legislation in this area; Elaboration of the National Strategy and Plan for Waste Management Administrative structures established at the national, regional and local level to implement the national policy on wastes and for inspection and control Availability of annual data concerning waste management at the national level Experience in implementing projects financed by pre-adhesion funds (PHARE or ISPA)	Poor infrastructure for waste collection, transportation and disposal Poor capacity of the recently-established ARPM and ANPM concerning waste management Insufficient financial and human resources at the level of the public administration of the municipalities to involve in waste management Poor awareness of the population and economic agents Insufficient promotion of the administrative instruments which to facilitate the creation of viable waste market
Air quality	Air quality
Full transposition of EU legislation in this area Designation of the agglomerations and areas for the management and evaluation of air quality Network of air quality in Bucharest, which may supply data on-line Experience in implementing projects financed by pre-adhesion funds (PHARE)	High level of fossil fuels utilisation to produce energy High pollution with heavy metals and particles in some areas; High specific emissions of greenhouse-effect gases, NOx and SO2 and powders resulted mainly from IMA National network monitoring air quality not yet completely fitted; Low numbers of operators having monitoring and control systems for the atmosphere polluting emissions; Absence of ISPA projects to protect the atmosphere, although this area is eligible according to Regulation no. 1267/1999/EC
Nature protection	Nature protection
About 19% % of Romania surface is declared as protected areas (including Natura 200 network); The limits of 80% of the total protected areas were determined in GIS Significant tourist potential	Large number of endangered habitats and species Insufficient infrastructure for nature and landscape protection; Low financial and human resources for the management of the protected areas and of the important biotopes; The management plans of the protected areas are not yet to be elaborated and not all administrations have been assigned There still is no complete inventory of all natural habitats and of flora and fauna species.
opportunities	threats
Water sector	Water sector
EU funds allocated for the environment (water) sector in Romania Business opportunities for the foreign companies to invest in the water sector (within the context of the allocated funds) Development of public-private partnerships for the water sector	Low capacity of the final beneficiaries/local authorities to develop project applications for the water sector. Non-compliance with the requirements of EU Directives for the water sector in the case of a low absorption of EU funds due to the complex process of project preparation and management and due to costly co-financing Difficulties in supporting the investment costs for the projects of environmental infrastructure, particularly by the small and average-size communities
Waste management	Waste management
Availability of structural and adhesion funds Opportunities for private investments and trade Development of a viable market of wastes / raw materials resulting from waste processing Establishment of public-private partnerships (PPP) for he wastes sector Finalisation of the pilot projects to recover / recycle package wastes	Staff insufficiently trained and experimented to apply the legal framework for wastes management. Insufficient capacity of absorption of the European funds Poor social support of good wastes services, mainly selective collection Requirement for financial assistance through co-financing which involves the allocation of important sums from the state budget
Air quality	Air quality
Common projects of implementation to reduce GHG emissions Introduction of renewable sources of energy	High costs to comply with European standards for the exchange of technologies and the use of BAT- IMA. Higher pressure on air quality in correlation with the economic growth Lack of financial resources to finance the environmental measures that require large investments, particularly at the local level; Uncontrolled increase of vehicle traffic with adverse consequences on the emissions into the air
Nature protection	Nature protection
EU funds allocated for this sector Development of ecological tourism Economic and rational exploitation of the species of flora and fauna	Higher pressure on biodiversity in correlation with the economic growth Environmental pollution

Table 9 Current state of the environment infrastructures targeted by Priority 3 of the PND

Fresh water supply	Comments
68 % of the Romanian population connected to the utility – 98 % urban and 33 % rural (3,4 million inhabitants)	Europe has 100 % connection to the utility in urban and 87 % in rural areas
Drinking water treatment plants: 1.398 units	25 % chemically nonconforming in localities with 50 – 500 inhabitants; 10 % nonconforming in localities with more than 5000 inhabitants; 9,8 million inhabitants from urban areas exposed to risks due to these nonconformities.
sewage system	Comments
Localities with sewage system: 675 servicing 11.5 million inhabitants (of which 10.3 million – 90 % in urban areas and 1.15 million – 10 % in rural areas)	52 % of the Romanian population benefits of both drinking water supply and sewage, 16 % only of drinking water supply and 32 % of neither
Waste water treatment	Comments
28.8 % treated properly, 42 % insufficiently treated and 29.2 % non-treated	In conclusion, about 71 % of the waste waters poor directly into emissaries; of these, 49 % originate from heat and electricity producing plants and 39 from public units
1359 plants for waste water treatment (in 2004 – 555 plants, 40.8 % were functioning properly and 59.2 % were not functioning properly)	Only 340 urban agglomerations benefit of waste water treatment plants.
Wastes management	Comments
29 % are municipal / urban wastes and 71 % are production wastes disposed of by the urban salubrity services	Only 5 % of rural wastes benefit of salubrity services
40 % of the wastes are recyclable, 20 % recoverable	But only 2% are recycled by selective collection, the balance being disposed of at the dump
267 municipal wastes dumps – 13 discontinued functioning, 238 are to be closed down for non-compliance with EU norms, only 16 comply	49 additional waste dumps are needed for non-dangerous wastes with capacities of 50,000 up to 100,000 tons /year
2 686 wastes dumps 1 ha or larger do not comply	Will be closed until 2010 and the rural collection of waste will expand
169 industrial waste dumps (51 for dangerous wastes, including for 10-25 % of overall medical wastes); 116 for non-dangerous industrial wastes, 2 for inert material)	Only 15 are according to EU norms; 154 will be gradually closed down and 346 burning installations / incinerators for medical wastes do not comply and will be shut down by 31.12.2008.
Air quality	Comments
39.24 % of the air pollution is from the large burning installations producing energy and industrial conversion, 31.58 % from traffic and 11.39 % from the processing industry	The most dangerous pollutions are the emissions of deposit powders, SO2 and heavy metals
Biodiversity and nature protection	Comments
13 National Parks; 13 Natural Parks and a Biosphere Reservation – the Danube Delta (1,655,333 hectares) plus 935 Scientific reservations amounting to 180,000 hectares, totalling 7.8 % pf the country area	The target for 2015 is 15 %
116 special area of protection for birds and 79 sites of community interest so far for Nature 2000 network	Compliance by January the 1st
Natural disasters	Comments
Black Sea beach lost in 35 years more than 2400 hectares (about 80 hectares / year), while the accumulations did not exceed 7 hectares / year	The coast line advanced into the hinterland by 180 – 300 meters, in some places by 400 m.

Table 10 SWOT analysis of some administrative – institutional aspects concerning the environment

Area	Strong Points	Weak Points
Institutional framework	Existence of the permanent interministerial councils for the integration of the environment policy within the sectoral policies	The Commission is established, it does not work efficiently (SEA –EIA)
Coherent methodology of evaluation		It doesn’t exist / it is not public / it is not known
Cooperation between stakeholders, at the national and international level (civil society; government; companies / federations; local authorities)		It is very poor

3.1 Sustainable use of genetic resources
Romania has non-renewable resources (minerals, fossil fuels, ore ferrous and non-ferrous deposits, coal deposits, useful rocks) and renewable (water, air, soil, wild flora and fauna, including the non-exhausting ones – sun, wind, geothermal and wave energy). Between the components of the natural resources, there are strong links and interactions, so that any anthropic intervention on one of them inevitably affects the others too.

The natural raw material non-renewable resources are energy generation sources, especially made of fossil fuels, whose typical representatives are mainly hydrocarbons (petrol, natural gases).

Within the context of increasing population and consumption of natural resources, sustainable development is a pattern of development that targets a balance between the economic growth, the quality of life and the preservation of the environment in the medium and long run without increasing the consumption of natural resources beyond Earth’ capacity to support.

Sustainable development aims to eliminate the disparities of access to resources both for the poor or marginalised communities and for the future generations trying to provide every nation with the opportunity to develop according to its social and cultural values while not denying this right to the future generations either.

The long-term approach means to consider the needs of the future generations and to elaborate equitable scenarios of development based on the limited natural resources of the planet.

The systemic thinking appeals to understanding the complex interactions between planet subsystems, of the propagation effects between local and global and of the multiple interdependencies between the environment, economy and society.

To understand the manner in which the strategic priorities for sustainable development in Romania might be ranked we gathered several SWOT analyses in which also contain quantitative data on the current situation of the analysed sector (environment, or the sector influencing the environment):

Table 11 SWOT analysis of the main environmental aspects in Romania

Strong points	Weak points
• Environmental legislation harmonised almost completely with EU legislation; • Strategies and plans of implementation of the relevant Directives for each sector of environment; • Existence of the basal institutional structures for environmental protection – to monitor compliance with community acquis, to implement the development programs for the integrated management of the water resources by hydrographic basins; • Experience in running programs financed by pre-adhesion funds (PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD) or from other international sources; • Technical assistance available to prepare a consistent portfolio of projects to be financed through POS (with PHARE, ISPA support and state budget); • The experience gathered by some 35 ISPA beneficiaries in large Romanian localities will be used to implement FSC projects in regions; • Delimitation of the agglomerations and of the areas for air management and air quality assessment; • Variety and wealth of biodiversity in Romania, important natural resources; • Undergoing delimitation of the protected areas; • about 19% % of Romania surface is declared as protected areas (including Natura 200 Network); • Significant tourist potential; • Increase the awareness of the decision-making factors to apply the policies and plans of actions for environmental protection.	• Low access of the population to centralised systems of water and salubrity compared to EU countries; • Low quality of the drinking water supplied to the population in many areas; • Rather low level of investments, after 1990, in all the sectors of the environment compared to the requirement of investments to comply to European standards; •Insufficient administrative capacity, particularly at the regional and local level, to implement the environmental legislation; • Existence of a large number of municipalities without performing water supplying companies; • Existence of a large number of sites with historical pollution due to past intensive economic activities; •Precarious infrastructure to collect, transport and remove wastes; • Poor awareness of the population and economic agents on proper waste management; • High proportion of wastes produced and stored, low level of selective waste collection, insufficient development of the waste recycling and utilisation market; • Poor awareness of the population and economic agents on the management of the protected areas; • Existence of gaps in the national network of protected areas; low financial and human resources for the management of protected areas and of the species and habitats of community interest; • Limited number of management plans for the protected areas; • Lack of intersectorial communication and of collaboration for the management of the natural resources and of the environment.
opportunities	threats
Use of EU finds as an important contribution to the improvement of the environment standards in Romania; • Increase of the standards of living and of the economic opportunities by providing quality public services, by remedying the polluted sites and by reducing the risks of natural disasters; • Decentralisation concerning the management of environment programs; • Apply the principle of partnership in the decision-making process for environmental protection; • Development of long-term investment plans under conditions of sustainable development; • Implementation of the legislation to introduce the best available technologies in environmental infrastructure, to increase the efficiency of resources and energy utilisation; • Reduce the discrepancies between regions and between villages and towns; • Improved performance of the operators of public services; • Opportunities for private investments and for trade; • Approach in the life cycle of the product within the context of integrated waste management; • Development of a viable recyclation market for the wastes/raw materials resulting from waste processing; • Introduction of the renewable energy resources; • Development of public-private partnerships for the environment sector; • Development of the ecologic tourism.	Low capacity of the final beneficiaries/local authorities to elaborate project proposals; • Organisation, political and financial difficulties determined by the process of regionalisation; •Non-compliance with the requirements of EU Directives for the water sector in the case of a low absorption of EU funds due to the complex process of project preparation and management and due to costly co-financing; • Difficulties in supporting the investment costs for the projects of environmental infrastructure, particularly by the small and average-size communities; • Increased pressure on biodiversity and air quality in correlation with the economic growth; • Inefficiency of short- and average-term investments to reduce the risks of Natural disasters that may cause important material and human damage; • Availability of land for the development of environmental infrastructure; • Inadequate utilisation of EU funds, without considering the possible effects on the environment and biodiversity, for instance for the development of infrastructure that leads to habitat fragmentation.

Source: Ministry of the Environment and Water Management, POS Environment, April 2006

For the efficient usage of natural resources and biodiversity protection, Romania aims the reducing by 2010, of the actual rate regarding the losses of biological diversity through the development of clean production methods, inclusively the usage of eco-efficient materials.

Generally, there should be very clearly defined and delimitated, what are the public goods and the private ones, because the access to these goods and services are guided after specific regulations, and themselves can lead to a more judicious land planning and resource management.

The establishing of some effective environmental objectives should allow that the advantages obtained from their achievement to compensate all losses in production and consumption of some goods and services less important than others.

On the other hand it is expected that the general wealth to reflect the quality environmental level reached having in view the technologies of the moment and the society preferences for all goods and services.

Impact: avoiding over exploitations on public lands and even private; increasing the interest for sustainable valorification of renewable resources from properties, accepting the conservation servitudes and supplying some rewarded public services.

For the moment there is no strategy for biosafety, especially related to the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO), although there is a regulation system for GMOs starting with 2000. At this stage Romania has the facilities to develop in cooperation with third parties GMOs with important economic value.

We do not have yet the capacity needed for development and taking full advantage of the products of modern biotechnology. Important human and institutional resources for biotechnology are mostly located in research-development academia and institutes: Institute of Biochemistry, Romanian Academy; Institute of Virology „Ştefan Nicolau” Bucharest, Institute of Biology, Romanian Academy, Institute of Genetics and the Faculty of Biology, Bucharest University; University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Timişoara, University „Babeş-Bolyai” Cluj Napoca and University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca.

These institutes are not supported in obtaining facilities anyway by the Government.

The State Institute for Testing and Registering Varieties has the capacity and ability to test and register varieties and hybrids of genetically modified plants. Romania has no accredited laboratories for GMOs analysis.

The research in the private sector is almost absent.

The Romania’s climate is temperate-continental of the transitory type, being marked by eastern, oceanic, scandinavian-baltic, sub-mediterranean and pontic influences. The continental influences behave in some areas of the country, in well-differentiated climate tendencies.

Thus, in Banat and Oltenia, the Mediterranean tendency is present, featured by smooth winters and a richer pluviometrical regime (especially in autumn).

In Dobrogea, there is a pontic tendency, by rare and yet torrential rains.

The Northern part of the country (Maramureş and Bucovina) experiences the effects of the Scandinavian-Baltic tendency, having a cooler and more humid climate with nippy winters, and the West of the country is influenced by the oceanic climate, with rather moderate temperatures and richer precipitations.

The annual precipitations decrease in intensity from West to East: over 600 mm in the Western Plain and less than 500 mm in the Romanian Eastern Plain, under 450 mm in Dobrogea and approximately 350 mm on the seaside, while in the mountain areas they reach 1,000-1,500 mm.

The aim of evaluating the impact of the atmospheric pollutants over the environment is to identify and quantify the potential consequences it has on it. In order to better understand this impact, it is imposed to collect, change and disseminate the information on air quality.

The evaluation of the impact of atmospheric pollutants over the environment is done by:

• 
  Estimating the emissions of pollutants by performing the inventory of emissions, measurements of the emissions and/or shaping of the dispersion of atmospheric pollutants;
  
• 
  Monitoring the air quality in order to know the effects of these emissions over the population’s health and ecosystems.
  
• 
  Estimating the annual emissions of atmospheric pollutants represents the first step in establishing the impact of these pollutants over the environment.
  

The air quality in Romania has been monitored by hourly or daily measures in 51 measuring stations, out of which 23 are part of the automatic air quality monitoring network.

The National Air Quality Monitoring Network includes the following types of stations:

• 
  Stations for evaluating the influence of traffic on the air quality;
  
• 
  Stations for evaluating the influence of the industrial activities on the air quality;
  
• 
  Stations for evaluating the influence of the “urban establishments" on the air quality;
  

The average concentrations of the pollutants monitored in the urban congestions, by types of stations, indicate a slightly favourable evolution of the air quality, except for the nitrogen oxides, which it can be explained by the increase in the traffic volume, the main source of pollution affecting the air quality in the monitored perimeters.

The climatic changers observed for a comparable time period represent the direct or indirect result of the human activities which determine the change of the global atmosphere composition which is added to the natural variability of the clime.

The greenhouse effect is due to the selective absorption by the molecules of all greenhouse gases of the thermal radiation emitted by Earth and its isotropic reemission into the atmospheric space, as well as towards the Earth.

The infrared radiation reemitted towards the Earth contributes to heating the low atmosphere and implicitly the planet.

By increasing the gas concentrations, the greenhouse effect is intensified, the energy trans-port and the humidity in the system is disturbed, a fact determining unbalances in the climatic system.

The phenomenon of global warming influences the physical systems as well as the biological ones.

Among the direct effects there may be mentioned: increase of the global average temperature with significant oscillations at a regional level, reduction of the glacial domes and implicitly the increase of the planetary ocean level, change in the hydro-logical cycle, augmentation of the arid areas, changes in the development of seasons, increase of the frequency and enhancement of the extreme meteorological phenomena, reduction of the biodiversity etc.

It is recommends the necessity of establishing policies and measures for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen protoxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride – regulated by the Kyoto Protocol), as when lacking these measures, the increase of the global temperature shall be by 0.2 degrees Celsius in each of the following three decades.

2010, needs the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions of at least 50% compared to the current level, by 2050. Estimation of the impact of climatic changes into the climate in Romania was accomplished by a study of the Romanian Academy where various General Circulation Models of the atmosphere were selected, which best reflect the conditions in our country. According to the results generated by these patterns, under the conditions of doubling the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is expected for the decades to come, an increase of the average global temperature ranged between 2.4 and 7.4oC.

The forecasted temperature changes shall be manifested regionally and locally and shall influence the ecosystems, human establishments and the infrastructure.

The climatic changes shall affect all sectors of the economy, shall lead to changing the periods of vegetation and displacing the limiting lines between forests and grass lands.

The extreme meteorological events (storms, floods, droughts) will be more frequent, and the related risks and damages may become even more significant. The areas affected by droughts in Romania have extended in the past decades, the most exposed ones being in the South-East of the country, the entire country being affected by prolonged drought.

Along with the floods, the long periods of drought lead to significant economical losses in agriculture, transportations, energy supply, water management, health, as well as in the activity within the households.

In order to analyse the potential consequences on the agricultural productivity for the main crops in Romania, several agro-meteorological models were used.

Out of the country’s surface, 26.7% represent the surface covered by forests; they are unevenly spread on the territory of the country (58.5% in the mountain area, 27.3% in the hilly area and 6.7% in the plain area).

The surface of the stock of wood is of 6 366 888 hectares, out of which 6 249 236 hectares represent forests, and 117 652 hectares is destined to forest culture, production and management. In the lower and hilly forested areas, a considerable drop is forecasted for the productivity of forests, after 2040, due to the increase of the temperatures and decrease of the precipitation volume.

The hydrological consequences of the increase in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere are significant.

The industrial, commercial, residential and infrastructure sectors (including the supplies with power and water, the transportations and disposal of wastes) are vulnerable to the climatic changes, in various ways.

These sectors are directly affected by the change in the temperature and precipitation regime or indirectly by the general impact.

The sectors most vulnerable to the effects of the climatic changes are the constructions, transportations, oil and gas exploitations, tourism and industries found in the coastal areas. Other sectors potentially affected are food industry, wood processing, textile industry, biomass and renewable energy production. Romania has rectified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes (UNFCCC), by committing to accomplish its aim: “to stabilise the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level which would prevent the anthropic harmful perturbation of the climatic system, a level that must be reached in a sufficient time interval allowing the ecosystems to naturally adapt to climate changes, so that food production would not be threatened, and economical development would be performed in a durable manner". Romania has also ratified the Kyoto Protocol by Law no. 3/2001, assuming stronger engagements than stabilising the greenhouse gas emissions, namely setting some clear measures, aims and periods for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.

Thusly, the value of the engagement of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions for the period 2008–2012 is of 8% compared to the base year 1989, in order to harmonise with the measures of the European Union, of reducing the greenhouse gas effects by the same percentage.

During 2004-2008, a series of actions have been implemented, having as aim: the improvement of the national system for estimating the greenhouse gas effects and of the national inventory, implementing the scheme of commercialising the certificates of green-house gas emissions and elaborating the National Allocation Plan, functioning of the national register, elaborating the Guide on adaptation to the effects of the climatic changes, continuing the participation to the flexible mechanisms stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol, making the public aware with regards to the impact and adaptation to the climatic changes. By establishing the National System for estimating the level of anthropic green-house gas emissions resulted from sources or from restraint by distraining the carbon dioxide (SNEEGHG), the attributions and collaboration way have been set between the institutions involved in this process, as well as the data necessary to create the reports, the procedural stages concerning the estimation of the level of anthropic greenhouse gas emissions, reporting, processing, recording and storing the data comprised within the National Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (NIGGE). The aim of SNEEGHG administrated by the National Agency for the Environmental Protection is to provide the NIGGE transparency, consistency, comparability, the full character and accuracy, as well as to comply with the stipulations and commitments Romania has assumed under the Kyoto Protocol and/or stipulated by the community legislation in force regarding the estimation of the level of anthropic greenhouse gas emissions resulted from sources or from restraint by distraining the carbon dioxide.

Romania’s last NIGGE was transmitted in 2008 and contains the estimations of the levels of anthropic greenhouse gas emissions resulted from sources or from restraint by distraining the carbon dioxide for each year of the period between 1989 – 2006.

Based on these observations, there is thusly a probability that Romania shall comply with the commitments of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions during the first period of the engagement, 2008 – 2012, without additional measures of reducing the emissions. Some intensive energetic industries have reduced the activities and this has been reflected in the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions.

The sectors for which the levels of/restraint by distraining greenhouse gas emissions were estimated are: the energetic sector, industrial processing, use of solvents and other products, agriculture, land use, land-use change and forestry (abbreviated LULUCF), waste sector.

The country has a substantial capacity to implement the CBD, and has undertaken some assessments of capacity gaps. Between 2004 and 2005, with UNDP GEF support, a National Capacity Self-Assessment process was implemented. The NCSA Final Report contains capacity development Action Plans for each UN convention and a Joint Action Plan for all three, specifying 25 priority objectives and actions, under the seven priority themes.

Among the CBD Thematic Assessment Recommendations, priority is given to addressing institutional fragmentation through streamlining and clearer definition of mandates and responsibilities, especially for protected areas; the need to improve inter-ministerial communication on biodiversity-related issues; and the need to adopt a more integrated approach to biodiversity and other environmental and sectoral issues.

However, these assessments have been largely cross-cutting in nature, looking into the common issues of institutional set up and policy and legislative frameworks.

Therefore there remains a need to undertake more detailed assessments of capacity needs in areas solely related to implementation of the CBD, which will be undertaken through this project.

The Ministry of Environment is the body of the central public administration specialized and with responsibility for establishing, promoting and application of the Governmental strategy in the field of management of the water, forest and environmental protection.

At Ministry’s orders, under authority or coordinate by the Ministry are the following entities:

• 
  Entities at Ministry of Environment’s orders:
  

• 
  Public insititutions financed by budget of the central state administration, with a legal identity:
  
• 
  42 Environmental Protection Agencies at County level, descentralized public duties;
  
• 
  Administration of the “Danube Delta” Biosphere Reserve.
  

• 
  Entitie for documentation and information, with a legal identity and extra-budgetary financed
  

• 
  Entities under Ministry of Environment authority:
  

• 
  National Company “Romanian Waters”;
  
• 
  National Company of Forests;
  
• 
  National Company “National Institute of Meteorology, Hidrology and Waters Management”.
  

• 
  Scientific research entities coordonate by the Ministry of Environment, with a legal identity and extra-budgetary financed :
  

• 
  National Institute of Research-Development for Environmental Protection, Bucharest;
  
• 
  “Grigore Antipa” National Institute of Research-Development, Constanţa;
  
• 
  “Danube Delta” National Institute of Research-Development, Tulcea.
  

Within the Ministry of Environment operating the Directorate of Nature Protection.

At local level this is represented by similar departments under the territorial Environmental Protection Agencies with functions regarding the activities of biological diversity conservation and sustainable use of its components.

This directorate have the following main prerogatives and responsibilities:

• 
  coordinating the activity of nature conservation, elaborating the policies and the strategies for biological diversity conservation and sustainable use of its components;
  
• 
  coordinating the management of the protected areas and natural monuments, by the territorial Environmental Protection Agencies;
  
• 
  funding, elaborate and propose for enforcement or promotion, in cooperation with Romanian Academy, measures and normative acts for biological diversity conservation and for management of the National Network of Protected Areas;
  
• 
  propose the normative acts projects for including in the National Network of other protected areas or natural monuments which justifies it, together with Romanian Academy and specialized institutes;
  
• 
  participate at the approval of the ecological impact studies and assessments for the works of planning use, of the investments and of exploitation of some natural resources, in respect with the conservation of the natural habitats and species diversity;
  
• 
  elaborate, publish, up-date and distribute the “Protected Areas and natural Monuments Catalogue” and “Red List of national endangered plants and animals species” together with the Romanian Academy;
  
• 
  acting for applying the legal measures concerning the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity;
  
• 
  propose and coordinate, technique and scientific, elaborate the research programs for knowledge and assessment the state of the natural habitats, wild species and other goods of the national natural heritage, financed by budget of the central state administration or other sources;
  
• 
  funding and acting for developed the special projects on protection, conservation and rehabilitation/reconstruction of the natural habitats and species diversity;
  
• 
  ensure and survey the enforcement of the provisions and recommendations stipulate in the international conventions and agreements in the nature conservation field;
  
• 
  represent the technique and scientific secretariat for the international conventions and agreements in the nature conservation field.
  

In the field of the nature conservation, the Environmental Protection Agencies have the following main prerogatives and responsibilities:

• 
  knowledge of the areas of the plant and animal species from the wild flora and fauna and enforcement the necessary measures for their protection and conservation within the County territory;
  
• 
  periodical assessing, surveying and analyzed the state of the protected areas and natural monuments within the County territory;
  
• 
  ensure, coordinate and survey enforcement of the natural monuments protected areas management plans;
  
• 
  authorized, at the request of the natural and juridical persons, harvesting of the plants and animals from wild flora and fauna, according with the legal provisions and with the ability decided by the ministry;
  
• 
  collaborate with the territorial authority responsible with the agriculture and forestry, and other local administration authorities for keep record of the deteriorated lands, as well as setting up the protection curtains, in concordance with the law on land fund;
  
• 
  identify the affected aquatic and terrestrial areas, requested and analyzed the proposals for their ecological reconstruction and approved this projects;
  
• 
  analyzed and approved point a view of biological diversity conservation, the studies elaborated aimed authorized the economic and social activities, within the County territory.
  

The data stored in BIMS is used to support the decision-making at the Ministry of Environment.

Through the Phare project CBC “Protection of the Danube – a pilot project for Cama Dinu islet” an inventory of species and habitats along the Danube River bordering Romania and Bulgaria was undertaken.

The Integrated Biodiversity Information System (IBIS) was developed based on the BIMS. IBIS-Web is the Internet web portal for presenting biodiversity data and communicating the project results (e.g. documents, progress reports and web-based maps).

Nature 2000 informational system was structured in a way that it can provide necessary information for the evaluation of the Nature 2000 network and make the process disclosed to multiple users. It also provides for a platform to exchange views by submitting comments on-line and different individual records, data analysis, verification, validation and public consultation on sites selections.
4.2 Progress towards the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan for the CBD