Descriptions of the natural world inheritance property COUNTRY Romania NAME Danube delta Naturschtzgebiet IUCN management category II (national park) natural Welterbe Site Kriteriien iii, iv BIOGEOGRAPHICAL PROVINCE to 2.29.11 (Ponti quilts) GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION is because of the coast of the black sea in the eastern part of the country in Tulcea circle, and covers the area between the branch rivers Chilia, Sulina and Sfantu Gheorghe, the former border between Romania and Ukrainian CSSR.

The area closes also the Razelm Sinoe sea-complex, Razelm, Sinoe, Zmeica and Golovita south the delta a 44°25`-45°28`N, 29°42`-28°45`O DATE AND HISTORY of the MECHANISM 1938 stepped the advice of Ministers the decision No. 645 and explained ` the Letea Wald` as protected area. 1961 met you the decision No. 891 and explained Rosca Buhaiova (14.600ha), Sfantu Gheorghe Perisor Zatoane (16,400 hectars), Periteasca Gura Portitei (3.900) and the Popina island (98ha) as protected areas. 1971 explained the management of forestry to the Caraorman forest (840ha) and Erenciuc forest (41ha), likewise as protected areas. 1975 made the advice of Ministers the decision No. 524 of the extension of the Donaudeltas to cover protected area around 41.500 hectars. 1979 were internationally called an area 18.145ha, Rosca Buhaiova protected area as well as Letea forest, Rosca Letea biosphere reserve. Including an area of 500.000 hectars, and all preceding areas, a biosphere reserve under national regulation became No. 983 with support articles 5, and 6 on 27 August 1990 explains. Further legislation is under preparation.

This area was increased at the beginning of 1991, in order to cover 547.000ha, and also a national biosphere reserve was explained. The last legislation gives the Patrimonium to the biosphere reserve of the delta authority. On 12 April 1991 passed on regulation 264/91 places whole Institut, Agentur and Inspektorat-Personal under the administration of the biosphere reserve. The environmental agency for Tulcea circle is also subordinated. The whole public domain, water area and produced natural resources are under the possession of the biosphere reserve authority. Further legislation will strengthen important the administration of the area.

The Danube delta was designated a humid area of international importance under the Ramsar meeting 1991, written on that world inheritance list 1991 and recognized internationally as a biosphere reserve under the UNESCO one and biosphere program 1992. An area of 679.222ha, and a sea-area of 103.000ha, including. The perfect delta area includes 799.000ha, whose 679.000ha is in Romania and 120.000ha in Ukrainian CSSR.

The Razelm Sinoe lagoon complex includes further 88.000ha. The exact border the area stated for appointment was changed, in order to exclude less natural areas like the Padina polder and the fisch-Teiche in the southwest (Vadineanu, pers.komm 1991). LANDBESITZ the state possesses more than 90% and the remainder is in private hands. The latter was only recently granted. SEA LEVEL HEIGHT up to 15m PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS the origin of the Deltas can be after-felt to the ice age ' Wuerm3`. The geomorphologic form developed in historical times. The northern part of the Deltas sinks slowly, and has as if suppl.-smooth-eat a measurable water river increase in the Chilia arm of the Donaus outside. Only 9% of the area are permanent over the water level (EEN, 1990). The delta is in European designations (approximately 12 times the size of Cota Donana nature park of the Guadalquivir Deltas, Spain) with numerous sweet landing on water (province lake -) comprehensive by narrow channels connected with enormous expansions of the water vegetation with one another. The Razelm Sinoe complex from the south consists of mehrerern large lagoons separately from the sea by a sand barrier (Grimmet and Jones, 1989). Each year thousands of tons of alluvialen deposits are carried in the delta by the Danube, which leads on constant transforming of river banks and sand barriers. The everywhere hydrologic and ecological systems of the Deltas, although strongly degradiert, are regarded as intact (Pons and Pons Ghitulescu, 1990).

Rosca Buhaiova Hrecisca protected area (part of the Rosca Letea biosphere reserve) is regarded nearly invariably by humans due to the shallow water level, who nearly not possibly make the entrance. Perisor Zatoane Sacalin protected area is a mosaic of lakes and ponds, and reed areas with parallel sand-Duenen pulled through (' grinduri`). The Sacalininsel is zusmmengesetzt from alluviallen deposits with sand-Duenen and Tamarix. The delta was classified in 12 Habitat types: Wasserhabitate lakes (0,8m-2,5m depth) covered with inundated reed islands; ' plaur' inundated islands; inundated Schilfe and pastures; River forest of pastures and pappeln; Fields; sandige and muddy beaches; wet meadows; dry meadows; human settlements; sandige and rocky areas; steep banks; and forests on soil lain highly (Ciochia, n.d.). CLIMATE the continental climate, with only 450mm of annual amount of precipitation, is provisional under influence of the sea and the air humidity, which rise from countless binnenlaendichen lakes and small water ways (Anon.1990). PLANT WORLD that is the largest continuous swampland in Europe, which probably includes the largest distances of reed in the world.

The sump Vegatation by Schilfe Phragmites australis one prevails, which swimming or fastened islands out verfallenderVegeatation (' plaur`), with something Thypha angustifolia and Scirpus frame, to form. Schilfe cover approximately 1.700Km² and ' plaur ' 1000Km², while the not included total area amounts to only 148Km² (Ciochia, n.d.). There are also water lilies Nymphaea alba and Nuphar luteus and Stratiodes of alloides. The higher soils support areas of Salix, Populus, Alnus and Quercus. Sandige of areas are covered with grass fields Stipa frame and other kinds of quilting. Forest elements are observed best in Letea forest, occurring in a set of volumes along dunes up to 250m for a long time and 10m broad, where trees reach 35m at height. The diversity of species of the jetztigen time consists of: Quercus robur, Q. pedunculiflora, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Fraxinus ornus, F. angustifolia, F. palisae, Pyrus more pyraster, Tilia tomentosa, Ulmus frame and occasionally Alnus glutinosa. Under the Straeuchen Crategus are occasional monogyna, Euonimus europaea, Cornus mas, C sanguinea, Rhamnus frangula, R.catharctica, Viburnum opulus, Berberis vulgaris, Hippophae of rhamnoides, Tamarix ssp. and Corylus avellana. The differentiating characteristic of the forest is including the abundance at climbing plants Periploca graeca, Clematis vitalba, Viti sylvestris and Humulus lupulus. In spring the soil with Convallaria is laid out majalis.

Particularly rare and gedrothe plants include Convolvulus persica, Epherdra distachya, Merendera sobolifera, Plantago coronopus and Petunia parviflora (IUCN, 1986). FAUNA more than 300 kinds of bird were registered, from which more than 176 breeding kinds are (Radu, 1979): Kormoran Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis (3000 pairs), Zwergscharbe P. Pygmeus (K) (2500 pairs, which 61% of the total population of the world include), rosapelikan Pelecanus onocrotalus (2500 pairs, 50% Palaearkti breeding population), Kraus head pelican P. crispus (E) (estimated on 150 pairs, perhaps now only 25-40 pairs, on which swimming islands of the Hrecisca lake which, to which 5% of the population of world represent), Nachtrreiher Nyctiocorax nycticorax (2100 pairs), Rallenreiher Ardeola of ralloides (2150 pairs), silberreiher Egretta alba (700 pairs), silk heron E. garzetta (1400 pairs), magenta heron Ardea purpurea (1250 pairs), Braunsichler Plegadis facinellus (1500 pairs), white stork Ciconia ciconia (many), peak swan Cygnus olor (500 pairs), sea-eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (V) (8 pairs), moor buzzard Circus aeruginous (300+Paare), fish eagle Pandion haliaetus (3 pairs), choking falcon Falco cherrug (1-2 pairs), red foot falcon F. vespertinus (150 pairs), Brandseeschwalbe Sterna sandvicensis (1700 pairs), river sea-swallow S. hirundo (20000+Paare), pointing beard sea-swallow Chlidonias hybrida (20000+), and mourning sea-swallow C the Niger (10000-20000 pairs). White head rudder duck Oxyura leucocephala breeds possible-white also here still. Thin bill curlew Numenius tenuirostris (K) occurred with the passage (28 in 1971 and one or two 1989).

The delta keeps enormous numbers of Anatidae in the winter with accounts of 500000 Blaessganse Anser albifrons (however only 64000-77500 in 1982 up to 500 smaller Zwergblaessgans A. erythropus, 45000 red neck goose Branta ruficollis (a generally threatened kind with nearly 95% of the world wintering population here), 150000 Krickente Anas crecca, 200000 stick ducks A. platyrhyncos, 14000 Spiessenten A. acuta, 40000 spoon duck A. clypeata, 32400 piston duck Netta rufina, 970000 board duck A. ferina, 13000 moorland duck A. nyroca, and 1500 Zwergsaeger Mergus albellus. In winters there is a concentration of approximately 30-40 Haliaeetus albicilla (R) (Grimmett and Jones, 1989; Green, 1990). The Danube delta is very important for fish with 45 kinds of fresh water and the threatened representatives of the Acipenseridae (Anon, 1990). Otter Lutra lutra, Hermelin Mustela erminea, and European mink Mustela lutreola (E), just as well like the wild cat Felis sylvestris is to be found on the Schwimmenseln (Anon, 1990).

It seems that few studies on mammals since 1970 to a considerable degree due to the lack of the financing one did, but the population of mink although their size is unbekant, apparent into European designations is important. The forest areas contain several rare reptiles, Vipera ursini, of Elaphe longissiuma, and Eremias arguta deserti (IUCN, 1986). CULTURAL INHERITANCE those very long history of the trade along the Danube is obviously, proven by remainders of the Greek and roemichen settlements (a lighthouse including). Villages, which surround the delta, show a Turkish influence. LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION estimated on between 12000 and 16000 (most of the Ukrainian orthodoxen Lipki Nachkommer), depending on the definition of the area and living sitting status (EEN, 1990; Iucn eep, 1991). As one regards, the lower figure 50% is less than before 50 years (Pons and Pons Ghitulescu, 1990). The population is divided along the three main water ways, Chilia, Sulina and Sfantu Gheorghe, the main source of the drinking water.

Cases of the Cholera were reported latest (EEN, 1990), in August 1990, when 66 cases in the Tulcea area were diagnosed (Anon. 1990). The largest part of the recent generation left the delta, and old fish villages from reed huts were replaced by concrete structures, although individual fish huts will keep. Some villages (e.g. Gorgova) do not have electricity. Social problems become by low incomes and low prices for fish to set (500 lei by 1000 kg of the fish; 1989 figures) worsens. It reported to introduce that the conditions for the work on state farms (on the recently created reed islands), are extremely badly (it is tried, Eco agriculture in the near future) (Iucn eep, 1991); they have lack at fundamental infrastructures, and the work is unpopular.

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