European press: ‘Efforts against global warming will be pointless if we cut down Romanian primeval forests’

Romania is praised by those who visit the country for its marvelous landscapes, for the untouched scenery and for the well preserved wildlife. Behind all these, there is a sad truth, though: local corruption makes Romania lose it primeval forests.

The international press focused on Romania’s deforestation problems especially after the killing of a dedicated young forester, 37 years old, in Maramures, a county near Ukrainian border. His death sent the Romanian authorities and the whole world a strong message: stop illegal logging!

Belgian publication MO – Mondiaal Nieuws dedicated a reportage to this persistent and yet unsolved problem of illegal logging in Romanian forests. The journalist said it clearly: „Efforts against global warming will be pointless if we cut down Romanian primeval forests”.

Europe’s last primeval forests are turning into timber factories

This is in fact the title of the reportage and it covers the painful story of the Maramures forests, including illegal logging with the complicity of the local mayor who works hand in hand with the local authorities.

„In 2005, the Royal Dutch Natural History Association, with the support of the Romanian government, charted that 218,000 hectares of completely untouched primeval forest remained in Romania.

Half of this was lost through logging, after Romania became a member of the EU in 2007″ reveals the reportage, offering a painful lesson for all the governments which have succeeded in power from 2005.

Is there a solution for Romanian illegal logging?

In fact, there is one, presented in the reportage but also adopted by the Romanian Government in its early days in power: to include all the primeval forests in the National Catalogue of Virgin Forests.

The Romanian Minister of the Environment stated at the end of December 2019 that there were left only 100,000 ha of virgin forests in Romania after the illegal logging, out of which only 29,000 ha are included in the National Catalogue of Virgin Forests. His intention is to protect at least 29,000 ha more in the next 6 months and started by including 1,100 ha in the Catalogue in Deember. Too little? Maybe, but it’s a start.

Yes, illegal logging is a real problem in Romania and the solutions are still in hand, despite the harm already done. Yet, Romania has to react now before it’s too late; otherwise, one day it will have nothing left to defend anymore.