Watery Wilderness to Adorn Romania’s Capital

Bucharest city council has approved plans to turn a natural delta in the south of the capital into a nature park and a recreational area.

The park, known as the “Delta between the blocks”, covers around 200 hectares, including some 80 hectares of water, in the middle of Bucharest.

The area, whose ownership is unclear, is to home to lizards, otters, foxes, more than 90 species of birds, including swans, wild ducks and seagulls, as well as snakes and fish, which is almost unheard of in a large city.

At the moment the area is not legally protected and many people use it as a waste dump.

Last year, the Romanian Academy gave the green light to turn the area into a protected zone.

The area, which is to become Bucharest’s newest and wildest park, is part of a water defence system for the city, designed by Communist authorities. Works on it started in 1986 but halted soon after 1990.

Romania is home also to the Danube Delta, the largest and best preserved delta in Europe. These world famous wetlands are host to over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater types of fish in its numerous lakes and marshes.

But the area is one of Romania's poorest regions, with many local communities lacking basic services, such as electricity and running water. Most locals depend on fishing or subsistence agriculture. Illegal fishing is seen as a routine way to supplement income.

Wildlife tourism has been slow to take hold in Romania, although several hotels have now sprung up on lakesides and riverbanks, catering to bird-watchers and offering fishing trips.