Petition text

Dear Prime Minister of Romania,

We - citizens from Romania, Europe and the rest of the World - write to you out of grave concern for the loss of virgin forests of Romania. Europe’s last great tracts of virgin and natural forests are found in Romania, but they are currently being progressively destroyed by logging. Incomprehensibly, the designation of national parks and Natura 2000 sites provides no sufficient protection from the chainsaws and bulldozers.
National parks and Natura 2000 sites are there to preserve our most important natural treasures. Our generation has the responsibility to save them for future generations. They are carbon reserves, gene banks, scientific laboratories, oxygen factories and home for numerous threatened species, some found nowhere else on earth.
We demand your immediate intervention to put an end to this natural tragedy. The Romanian government needs to act now in accordance with its obligations to manage national parks and Natura 2000 sites for nature protection.
We respectfully request you to:
Immediately halt commercial logging in national parks
Place a moratorium on logging in all potential virgin forests in Romania and improve implementation of the virgin forest protection program
Ensure that virgin forests and forests with natural structures in all Natura 2000 sites are preserved in full compliance with EU legislation which prohibits deterioration of natural habitats and harm to protected species
Introduce new zoning regime to all national parks based on scientific criteria and include all virgin forests and forests with natural structures into core protection zones without any use
Eliminate all legal loop holes regarding the protection of virgin forests and develop a legal framework which is in line with the guidelines of IUCN for national park management. This needs to include non-intervention management on at least 75% of the surface of national parks, ban of commercial forest exploitation and set up a compensation mechanism for private and municipal forest owners.
Implement an entirely new and fully funded national park management administration, with a coherent and unitary responsibility to manage national parks for nature conservation
Establish new national parks to protect outstanding Romanian natural values, in particular in Țarcu, Ciucas, Giumalau and Făgăraș Mountains
Develop an integrated national strategy of ecotourism to ensure the conservation of national parks and to provide support for local communities.
Romania’s national parks and Natura 2000 sites are home to to some of Europe’s most important natural treasures. Their future is in your hands. You have the choice to show leadership that will be remembered for generations to come. We urge you to act for the good of all of us and protect them forever.

Sincerely,

**your signature**