Reorganization of Retezat Biosphere Reserve

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Retezat National Park was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1979 by fulfilling UNESCO MAB old criteria. Since then, the specific criteria for obtaining/maintaining the status of a biosphere reserve have been changed, in the sense that both the presence of human communities in the reserves and the agreement of these communities to be part of a biosphere reserve. In particular, the mandatory presence of human settlements in the biosphere reserves is required, a UNESCO request that could be only solved by expanding the limits of Retezat National Park.

Romania, through the Ministry of Environment, set up two scenarios: either send the requested data to the Human and Biosphere Committee (MAB) UNESCO and comply with MAB requests or definitively lose, by September 30, 2022, its status biosphere reserve, which would be a serious loss. The Retezat National Park Administration, along with Grădiștea Muncelului – Cioclovina Natural Park Administration and Retezat Tourism Association have been working together in order to fulfill the requested criteria. The National UNESCO secretary should receive the implementation progress of the new RBR limits, in order to obtain the requested amount of time, so that the results of the NABU project should give the entire support for the reorganization and adjustment of the Retezat Biosphere Reserve, in order to completely fulfill the MAB criteria on Biosphere Reserves.