2,500 hectares of the Danube Delta risk disappearing overnight
In the context of World Wetlands Day, observed annually on February 2, WWF-Romania (the World Wide Fund for Nature) is raising awareness about the real possibility that the Danube Delta could lose 2,500 hectares to intensive agriculture.
This year, February 2 coincides with growing uncertainty surrounding the Carasuhat area in the Danube Delta. This region was partially restored through a European project between 2012 and 2016 and partially flooded again in 2023. However, a court ruling from December 2024 threatens to drain 2,500 hectares of the Delta in the Carasuhat area, near Mahmudia and Beștepe.
“The Carasuhat area, now at risk of being drained again, includes the section that underwent ecological restoration between 2012 and 2016, through a European project in which we were partners. We consider it a model for the Delta’s future,” said Orieta Hulea, director of WWF-Romania. “Over the past nine years, Mahmudia-Carasuhat has proven that investing in nature restoration works and can bring prosperity to local communities. Such a model should not be destroyed but preserved and replicated in as many areas of the Danube Delta as possible.”
WWF-Romania stands with the local communities in Mahmudia and Beștepe, who want to keep the delta near their homes—a delta that has started providing them with income through sustainable tourism and fishing, offering hope for a stable future.
WWF-Romania’s website hosts a petition addressed to the Romanian Government and the Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests. Nearly 10,000 signatories are calling for a government decision that would allow water to remain in Carasuhat while also compensating agricultural leaseholders.
To mark World Wetlands Day, an event will take place on February 2 at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant. It will feature a discussion on the future of the Carasuhat area (Danube Delta, Sfântu Gheorghe branch) and the opening of the photo exhibition Carasuhat: The Water Stays, Life Stays. The exhibition showcases stunning biodiversity from the Carasuhat area, captured by photographers Adrian Năsturică, Lucian Mîndruță, and Andrei Prodan.
The discussion and exhibition opening are open to the press and will be held at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Acvariu Hall, on February 2, 2025, starting at 10:00 AM.
Eight years ago, part of the former agricultural enclosure of Carasuhat was returned to the Delta through an ecological restoration project. In 2023, flooding expanded the area even further.
Since 2016, the number of guesthouses in Mahmudia has tripled. Locals have started returning from abroad to open businesses—along with the water, life has returned to Mahmudia and Beștepe. Residents now rely on fishing and tourism (accommodations, dining, and boat tours), and according to a 2023 survey, 97% of them want to keep the flooded area as it is, despite opposition from agricultural companies in the region.
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