RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Illegal Logging in Romania

An illegal phenomenon increasingly widespread across the country

Illegal Logging in Romania
Illegal Logging in Romania

, 28.09.2018, 11:53


In Romania, forested areas have
dropped significantly in surface, reaching 28.95%, around 7 million hectares,
below the EU average of 43%. Of this surface, about 415,000 ha belong to small
scale owners, with under 100 ha, with a great degree of exposure to illegal
logging for lack of supervision. Old-growth forests, lacking human
intervention, account for less than 3% of the total surface, compared to 12% in
1974. Many of these beech forests are part of the UNESCO world heritage. According
to the latest Greenpeace report on illegal logging in Romania in 2017, the
authorities have identified 12,487 cases nationally, around 34 per day, 32%
more than in the previous year. Ciprian Galusca is the coordinator of the
forest and biodiversity campaign with Greenpeace Romania:


The counties with the most illegal logging are Mures, Brasov, and Olt,
worsening compared to 2016. We have 8,000 violations on the books, 62% more
than last year. On the whole, nationally, we have 200,000 cubic meters of wood
getting cut illegally. Official data shows that between 2008 and 2014 8 million
cubic meters got cut illegally, and of these the authorities have uncovered
logging worth 200,000 cubic meters, meaning less than 2%. This means that,
looking at the figures related to the phenomenon the authorities are not very
effective at stopping it.


The counties of Cluj, Maramures and
Sibiu account for 54% of the volume of illegally cut wood in 2017 at the
national level. Over 20,000 cases were investigated last year, up 15% from
2016. In terms of prosecution, almost 5,500 cases were solved by prosecutors,
up 26%, and only 605 were brought to court. 1,465 vehicles used for the
transportation of illegally cut wood were confiscated, up 27.83% compared to
the previous year, as indicated by Greenpeace Romania. Here is Ciprian Galusca
once again:


When we go to the forest to see what happens, we notice that illegal loggers
are very well equipped. They are economic agents with high performance
equipment, cutting trees with a high degree of efficiency. If we look at the
vehicles confiscated by the authorities in 2017, however, we notice that there
are a high number of horse drawn carts. It is impossible to tell clearly how
much illegal wood is getting cut in Romania.


In the last few years, the
authorities in the country have implemented a number of systems and protocols
meant to combat illegal logging, increasing transparency. However, the practice
cannot be stopped, even though the environmental organizations are doing their
best, according to Ciprian Galusca:


Environmental organizations do their job, they draw attention to this
issue, and offer solutions for the citizens to get involved. This is what
Greenpeace does. Soon we will be launching a smartphone application for people
to get involved in protecting forests in Romania, especially old-growth
forests. The app will allow citizens to report suspected illegal cuttings right
in the field, including a questionnaire by which they can identify whether or
not a cutting is illegal. They can send the filled in questionnaire along with
photos and GPS location. We will be analyzing the data, and possibly send in forest
rangers to investigate. At the same time, the app will use recent satellite
imagery, as recent as 2018, and will allow users to check the legality of wood
transports.


So far, civil society has played an
important role in identifying illegal logging, according to the Greenpeace
Report. According to an Ipsos poll conducted in 28 countries, Romanians are
very worried about the deterioration of the environment. Seven out of ten
Romanians say that deforestation is the main environmental problem at local
level, with waste management in second place in terms of environmental issues
in Romania. 34% of respondents share that opinion, with 32% saying that air
pollution was the worst problem.

(Translated by C. Cotoiu)

Gala Green Report 2024
Green Planet Friday, 25 October 2024

Gala Green Report

The Gala Green Report is an initiative that aims to recognize and reward the local merits of companies, authorities and public figures in the fight...

Gala Green Report
Photo: pixabay.com
Green Planet Friday, 27 September 2024

Via Danubiana

Work is in progress, in Romania, for an ecotourism route, meant to provide the explorer with one-of-a-kind experiences, ranging from the natural and...

Via Danubiana
Artificially widened beaches in Romania
Green Planet Friday, 26 July 2024

Artificially widened beaches in Romania

Extensive works have been carried out on the Romanian Black Sea coast in the last ten years, to widen the beaches, after they suffered a slow but...

Artificially widened beaches in Romania
The Danube falcon Photo: Emil Todorov / sursa SOR
Green Planet Friday, 31 May 2024

Artificial nests for the Danube falcon

  A number of 60 artificial nests will be placed on high voltage poles in the south of the country this year, the Romanian Ornithological...

Artificial nests for the Danube falcon
Green Planet Friday, 26 April 2024

Noise pollution in Romania

Noise has increasingly become a challenge to modern societies, one that can cause serious health issues, such as heart and circulatory diseases,...

Noise pollution in Romania
Green Planet Friday, 29 March 2024

The Sustainable ’15-minute City’

People live more and more in cities, and this must be taken seriously into account when designing and managing them. The big metropolitan areas face...

The Sustainable ’15-minute City’
Green Planet Friday, 23 February 2024

Wood as a Resource to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Romania has all the resources – forests, wood, processing capacities, specialists and schools – to enter the leading platoon of countries...

Wood as a Resource to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Green Planet Friday, 26 January 2024

International climate events in a politically difficult year

The effects of global warming are alarming and the world needs to take urgent...

International climate events in a politically difficult year

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company