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Romania, Bulgaria to join sides in protecting three cross-border wetlands
Romania and Bulgaria will join sides in protecting three cross-border wetlands, a commitment they included in a joint letter to the Ramsar Secretariat, Romania's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMSC) reported on Friday.
'At the initiative of Environmental Minister Rovana Plumb and Bulgarian Minister of the Environment and Water Julian Popov, a joint letter of the two countries was sent to the Ramsar Secretariat for the designation and certification of three cross-border sites as wetlands of international importance,' reads the MMC report.
Under Article 5 in the Ramsar Convention, 'the contracting parties shall consult with each other about implementing obligations arising from the convention especially in the case of a wetland extending over the territories of more than one contracting party or where a water system is shared by contracting parties. They shall at the same time endeavour to coordinate and support present and future policies and regulations concerning the conservation of wetlands and their flora and fauna.'
Joint and coordinated conservation and management actions for such cross-border ecosystems are strongly supported by directives of the European Union, such as their inclusion in Natura 2000 network of EU protected areas. The Ramsar Secretariat is said to have hailed the cross-border wetland declaration and wait to find more details about a successful management and the joint conservation actions conducted by the two countries.
Romania has so far designated 19 wetlands of international importance that cover 1.156 million hectares. Three of them are the ones alluded to in the letter - Iezerul Calarasi (RO) - Srebarna (BG); Suhaia (RO) - Belene Islands Comlex (BG) and Bistret (RO) - Ibisha Island (BG).