136,428 of 175,000 signatures

Prime Minister of Romania

This petition is run by EuroNatur Foundation and Agent Green

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**

Why is this important?

Romania is home to the largest remnant stands of virgin forest in Europe outside of Scandinavia. It is also home to Europe's largest and most healthy populations of bears, wolves and lynx. Yet, Romania's forests, including national parks and Natura 2000 sites, are under siege. Rather than being protected places of outstanding beauty and nature conservation, chainsaws and bulldozers are logging and destroying enormous tracts of virgin forests that have stood for thousands of years.
This is a tragedy of epic proportions. The scale of logging is much greater than what triggered an international outcry and a welcome intervention by the European Court of Justice in the Bialowieża forest in Poland.
This destruction is occurring at the same time that the Romanian government holds the EU presidency. It is happening before the eyes of the EU and with the full support of the Romanian government. Urgent intervention is necessary to uphold the rule of law and protect Romania's outstanding natural heritage.

We need your help to stop the rapidly progressing destruction of virgin forests in Romania and to preserve these natural treasures before it’s too late.
Romania's holds the EU presidency until June 30th. Europe will closely watch whether Romania is taking action to preserve Europe’s last great virgin forests for future generations.
We need as many voices as possible to stand up for Romania's forests and call for urgent action during this time.
This petition will be delivered to the Romanian Prime Minister and forwarded to the Romanian Environmental Minister, the EU Commission and the European Parliament.
Europe’s precious natural heritage needs your help! Please add your voice to the call for the immediate protection of Romania's irreplaceable virgin forests.


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