WWF: Peste 10% din pădurile statului intră în Catalogul Zonelor Prioritare pentru Biodiversitate

WWF-România reports that over 10% of state-owned forests are now included in the National Catalog of Priority Biodiversity Areas, approved by the Ministry of Environment. This catalog focuses mainly on forests, while aquatic ecosystems and wetlands are underrepresented. Approximately 340,000 hectares of state forests managed by Romsilva are now protected, effectively doubling the area under biodiversity conservation. WWF emphasizes the need to balance this focus by including valuable ecosystems like rivers and wetlands in future updates. The organization also highlights that the recent water cadastre provides a basis for identifying high-value aquatic ecosystems for inclusion. Despite this progress, WWF notes that Romania has not yet achieved its goal of 10% strict protection by 2030, urging continued designations and scientific methodology revisions.