Romania names its second Ramsar site

After a hiatus of ten years, the Government of Romania has supplemented the Danube Delta in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance by the addition of "Small Island of Braila" (17,586 hectares), effective 15 June. The site has been a Natural Reserve in the county of Braila since 1994, and consists of a group of wetlands in the Lower Danube region, one of the rare areas along the river that has preserved its natural hydrological conditions and which contains a representative sample of habitats characteristic of floodplains as well as a former inland delta. Comprising seven small islands stretching over 61 km between two arms of the Danube just south (upstream) of Braila, Romania’s second largest city, the site is of major interest for at least 34 internationally protected bird species, two of which, Phalacrocorax pygmeus (pygmy cormorants) and Pelecanus crispus, are considered priorities for LIFE financing, and 65 species of fish. The wetlands perform important hydrological functions, particularly during seasonal inundations, and affect the local microclimate. The adjacent "Big Island of Braila", five times greater in size, was largely drained during the previous political era. Regional management plans in the past have tended toward intensive agriculture and aquaculture, but more recently sustainability has emerged as an objective. This new designation brings the Ramsar umbrella to1073 sites covering 81,766,195 hectares. [22/06/01]