Watersheds Management in Romania: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Sustainable use and development of watersheds become a major target of the national, European and global strategies and policies for sustainable development.

This is based on recognition that: (i) the lotic and lentic systems are major components of the biophysical structure of natural capital which play a key role in providing a wide range of resources (e.g. water, food resources) and services (e.g. flood detention, recharging and discharging aquifers; nutrient retention and release, trace elements retention); (ii) the structure, water quality and their functions – production, regulation, information and support — were modified and degraded, in all EU countries (including Romania) in a proportion ranging between 50–90% (Castro et al., 2002; Nivet and Frazier, 2004; Revenga and Kura, 2003; Vadineanu et al., 2003); (iii) the water quality and the integrity or health of the lotic and lentic ecosystems are the results of long term integration of the cumulated stress of both human and natural pressures, acting at the watershed scales; (iv) there is a need to shift the former sectoral and reductionistic based management of water resources towards integrated/or ecosystem and adaptive management at the catchment scale (EU-WFD) and; (v) the management plans and decisions for sustainable use and development of watersheds have to rely on evaluation – in physical and monetary terms — of the impact of human pressures upon the water ecosystems structure and functions and, the quality and density of resources and services flows.

Taking into consideration the above guiding requirements and the major social, political and economic changes emerged during more than 16 years of transition and negotiation of the EU accession and integration, the presentation is focused on the current status of the new emerging institutional, governing, legislative and administrative frameworks.

A particular attention will be given to: (i) the 11 administrative units (hydrologie basins and watersheds) which cover the river network at the national scale; (ii) land use and landscape structure; (iii) water course management; (iv) major drivers and pressures impacting on water quality and water ecosystem health; (v) first classification of “water bodies” and assessment of their “ecological status”; (vi) former economic analysis and new requirements for “environmental and resource cost and benefit analysis”; (vii) the current institutional framework including stakeholders network and their involvement; and to many difficulties the EU–WFD implementation process is facing as well as major emerging water policy issues and risks.