STOP road 66A - Save Retezat Intact Forest Landscape

To: The Ministry of Environment, Romanian Government

E-mail adress: cabinet1@mmediu.ro


Dear Minister,



Romanian Carpathians are home to about 50% of all bears, 35% of all wolves and 30% of all lynx in Europe (excluding Russia). Retezat mountains in the SW Carpathians shelter the last intact forest landscape (IFL) of the European temperate climate zone. Within the zone, this IFL remains the largest natural habitat (100187 ha) for large mammals such as brown bear, lynx and wolves. A current national project involves the construction of national road  66A through the South-Eastern part of the IFL that shelters impressive populations of big mammals such as brown bears, wolfs and lynx, and includes significant areas with ancient forests, endemic, rare or endangered species.



The Romanian IFL is a natural treasure that should be protected by law and meant for conservation, research and ecotourism. It is the last remaining large mountain area in Europe that is not fragmented by roads and where pristine wilderness thrives undisturbed.



National and European legislation are in favor of nature conservation and do not permit constructions such as road 66A to be constructed in strictly protected areas and the Natura 2000 network. Road 66A will lead to the loss of the IFL and will affect 3 strictly protected areas of The Domogled-Cerna Valley National Park and 3 Natura 2000 sites. A section of this road has already been built illegally through 3km of the Retezat National Park. It creates complete fragmentation of the large mammals habitats because the road is edged by 4 meter vertical walls and the existing animal passages are insufficient and unusable.



Route 66A is meant to link the cities of Petrosani and Baile Herculane. There are already alternative roads to 66A that link the 2 cities, avoiding the protected areas and the IFL. The construction is very expensive, it is funded with public money and I do not agree to it being continued.



I believe that economical rehabilitation in this region through construction of 66A is a poisoned promise of the local and central authorities. The reasons for my belief are that:



- National road 7A that links Petrosani to Olt Valley was built several decades ago and yet did not bring any benefit to local communities. Instead the only activity taking place is deforestation along this road through the Parang mountains Natura 2000 site just across Retezat mountains. This is a crime against nature and it should not be allowed to happen in Retezat too.



- Baile Herculane mountain resort is already intersected by both a national and a european road and has been for many hundreds of years. Yet still the city is in a continuous state of degradation.



Therefore, I refuse to believe that another roadway through the IFL, 2 protected areas and 3 Natura 2000 sites will release the region from poverty. It seems clear to me that this road would rather compromise any solid chance to assure welfare for the local communities through conservation and sustainable tourism. This area must be assigned for protection, study and sustainable tourism.



Dear minister, only you have the power to decide. I am asking you:


-          not to grant the environmental permit for segment 3 of national road 66A - in order to fully stop the construction


-          to strictly protect by legislation the entire Retezat Intact Forest Landscape



Thank you!

To: The Ministry of Environment, Romanian Government



Dear Minister,



Romanian Carpathians are home to about 50% of all bears, 35% of all wolves and 30% of all lynx in Europe (excluding Russia). Retezat mountains in the SW Carpathians shelter the last intact forest landscape (IFL) of the European temperate climate zone. Within the zone, this IFL remains the largest natural habitat (100187 ha) for large mammals such as brown bear, lynx and wolves. A current national project involves the construction of national road  66A through the South-Eastern part of the IFL that shelters impressive populations of big mammals such as brown bears, wolfs and lynx, and includes significant areas with ancient forests, endemic, rare or endangered species.



The Romanian IFL is a natural treasure that should be protected by law and meant for conservation, research and ecotourism. It is the last remaining large mountain area in Europe that is not fragmented by roads and where pristine wilderness thrives undisturbed.



National and European legislation are in favor of nature conservation and do not permit constructions such as road 66A to be constructed in strictly protected areas and the Natura 2000 network. Road 66A will lead to the loss of the IFL and will affect 3 strictly protected areas of The Domogled-Cerna Valley National Park and 3 Natura 2000 sites. A section of this road has already been built illegally through 3km of the Retezat National Park. It creates complete fragmentation of the large mammals habitats because the road is edged by 4 meter vertical walls and the existing animal passages are insufficient and unusable.



Route 66A is meant to link the cities of Petrosani and Baile Herculane. There are already alternative roads to 66A that link the 2 cities, avoiding the protected areas and the IFL. The construction is very expensive, it is funded with public money and I do not agree to it being continued.



I believe that economical rehabilitation in this region through construction of 66A is a poisoned promise of the local and central authorities. The reasons for my belief are that:



- National road 7A that links Petrosani to Olt Valley was built several decades ago and yet did not bring any benefit to local communities. Instead the only activity taking place is deforestation along this road through the Parang mountains Natura 2000 site just across Retezat mountains. This is a crime against nature and it should not be allowed to happen in Retezat too.



- Baile Herculane mountain resort is already intersected by both a national and a european road and has been for many hundreds of years. Yet still the city is in a continuous state of degradation.



Therefore, I refuse to believe that another roadway through the IFL, 2 protected areas and 3 Natura 2000 sites will release the region from poverty. It seems clear to me that this road would rather compromise any solid chance to assure welfare for the local communities through conservation and sustainable tourism. This area must be assigned for protection, study and sustainable tourism.



Dear minister, only you have the power to decide. I am asking you:


-          not to grant the environmental permit for segment 3 of national road 66A - in order to fully stop the construction


-          to strictly protect by legislation the entire Retezat Intact Forest Landscape



Thank you!

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