The Metropolitan Area of the Municipality of Bucharest. Present-Day Features Relating to Some Environmental Issues in an International Context

The development of metropolitan areas represents the main characteristic of today’s urban evolution trends. The first initiatives to delimitate and define metropolitan areas have been in the United States since 1910. In Europe, this concept was adopted at the beginning of the1990s when the United States had already had 250 metropolitan areas. Romania adopted the concept of metropolitan area in the late 1990s, namely in 1997 when a study on the Directions, Ways, and Intensities of Development in the Municipality of Bucharest and its Metropolitan Zone. Environmental protection politics appeared. This made public a point of view about the Bucharest metropolitan area, which was legally defined by Law no. 351 of July 6th 2001 regarding the National Territory Management Plan, Section IV – Settlements. But many other limits of this area were also taken into account. The uncontrolled evolution of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area as well as of many other European capital cities can be stopped or stabilized by developing green belts or green areas

The Impact of Changing Land Use upon the Environment in the Metropolitan Area of Bucharest. Preliminary Considerations

In this paper we highlight the major changes in land use during the transition from the centralised to the market economy (1989-2005). Agricultural de-collectivisation and privatisation have caused major structural changes in land uses with direct effects upon the quality of the environment. An urban area appeared around the metropolis where the most important environmental changes took place by dint of those from agriculture, because of agricultural policies and urban expansion. Within the interior ring of the metropolitan area several regional disparities have been highlighted. These are caused by the unequal development of its southern and southeastern areas, on the one hand, and of the western area, on the other hand

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN BUCHAREST METROPOLITAN AREA

The development of metropolitan areas represents the main feature of today’s urban evolution trends. Romania started to adopt the concept of metropolitan area from scientific point of view in the 1990s and from political point of view in the 2000s. With the fall of the communist regime in the year 1989, Romania experienced radical changes in all fields of activity. A first branch to be seriously affected by the restructuring process was agriculture. The major changes in land use during the transition period from a centralised economic system to the market economy (1989-2005), are related to decollectivisation and privatisation. These changes are determining structural relocations of the different land use categories affecting rural development with direct impact on the quality of the environment.The uncontrolled evolution of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area can be also analysed through urban sprawl (sub-urbanization). As a whole, urban expansion accompanies land fragmentation and land use diversification, improper waste management as well as high pressure upon water resources, agricultural land and biodiversity.The paper analyses the effects of rural development and urban sprawl within Bucharest Metropolitan Area as well as the main environmental issues related to sub-urbanization process (land fragmentation, land abandonment, land market dynamics, uncontrolled waste deposits, water supply system, sewage system, gas supply system) with negative impact on metropolitan landscape.ルーマニアは1990年代以来，科学的な視点から都心地域形成の概念を導入し，2000年代に入ってこれを行政的に採用した．1989年，共産主義体制が崩壊し，ルーマニアは大きな変革を遂げた．それは，土地利用・農業改革に始まり，市場経済への移行期（1989-2005）を経て，非集団化・私有化に関係した．土地利用変化は環境の質へ直接の影響をもたらした．ブカレストの都心部の非統制的発展は都市のスプロール化（副都心形成）を招いた．この論文では，これらについて，周辺農業地域の発展の影響，都市域におけるゴミ処理，上下水道システム，ガス供給システムなどを分析した結果を論じた

Regional Disparities related to Socio-Economic Determinants of Agriculture in the Romanian Plain

The structure and pattern of agriculture in Romania has been facing significant changes over the past decades in relation to the contextual social, political and economic transformations. The current study is seeking to assess the determinants of agriculture in the main agricultural region of Romania (Romanian Plain) based on selected socioeconomic factors. The authors selected nine socio-economic indicators (agricultural surface, labour renewal index, economic dependency index, economically active population, employment in agriculture, vitality index, share of young labour, share of female population and roads and railway density) which were aggregated into an index of socio-economic determinants of agriculture. Overall, the final index values revealed spatial differences which enabled a certain separation between the eastern, central and western parts of the Romanian Plain: socio-economic favourability for agriculture in the central and, to some extent, in the eastern parts and a significantly reduced favourability in the western area. The current research could become an important step for in-depth assessments of environmental and socio-economic determinants of agriculture, developing strategies and supporting policies at different spatial scales

Overview and perspectives of protected natural areas in Romania

Under the global environmental changes, the impacts of human-induced activities on habitats and ecosystems have become increasingly high, thus the role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity becomes critical. As a result, protected areas are exposed to a variety of pressures (e.g. biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, land use/land cover changes) posing major threats to ecosystems and their services. Currently, protected natural areas in Romania cover 1,798,782 hectares (7.55% of the national territory). An increased surface of protected areas was a priority of Romania’s following the accession to the European Union (2007), thus having to reach a 17% protected surface of the national territory (from 7% as it had previously been before EU accession) by means of other important conservative tools, such as “Natura 2000” European Network. The current study is aiming to provide a general overview on the natural protected areas in Romania, identify and assess the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and, ultimately propose a strategic vision, for the next twenty years, based on key scenarios in relation to the measures and management guidelines assumed under the EU and national environmental policies. The research was undertaken in the framework of the project entitled: “Natural resources - strategic reserves, what we use and what we leave to future generations” supported by the Romanian Academy

Overview and perspectives of protected natural areas in Romania

Under the global environmental changes, the impacts of human-induced activities on habitats and ecosystems have become increasingly high, thus the role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity becomes critical. As a result, protected areas are exposed to a variety of pressures (e.g. biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, land use/land cover changes) posing major threats to ecosystems and their services. Currently, protected natural areas in Romania cover 1,798,782 hectares (7.55% of the national territory). An increased surface of protected areas was a priority of Romania’s following the accession to the European Union (2007), thus having to reach a 17% protected surface of the national territory (from 7% as it had previously been before EU accession) by means of other important conservative tools, such as “Natura 2000” European Network. The current study is aiming to provide a general overview on the natural protected areas in Romania, identify and assess the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and, ultimately propose a strategic vision, for the next twenty years, based on key scenarios in relation to the measures and management guidelines assumed under the EU and national environmental policies. The research was undertaken in the framework of the project entitled: “Natural resources - strategic reserves, what we use and what we leave to future generations” supported by the Romanian Academy

Assessing the potential distribution of invasive alien species Amorpha fruticosa (Mill.) in the Mureş Floodplain Natural Park (Romania) using GIS and logistic regression

The assessment of invasive terrestrial plant species in the Romanian protected areas is an important research direction, especially since the adventive species have become biological hazards with significant impacts on biodiversity. Due to limited resources being available for the control of the invasive plants, the modelling of the spatial potential distribution is particularly useful in order to find the best measures to eliminate them or prevent their introduction and spread, as well as including them in the management plans of protected areas. Thus, the present paper aims to assess one of the most disturbing invasive terrestrial plant species in Europe – A. fruticosa in one of the most important natural protected area in Romania, i.e. Mureş Floodplain Natural Park (V IUCN category and RAMSAR –Wetlands of International Importance). The current study is a geographical approach seeking to explain the spatial relationships between this invasive species and several explanatory factors (soil type, depth to water, vegetation cover, forest fragmentation and distance to near waters, roads and settlements) and to assess its potential distribution by integrating GIS and logistic regression into spatial simulation. The resultant probability map can be used by the park’s administration in implementing the Management Plan in terms of identifying the areas with the highest occurrence potential of A. fruticosa according to the primary habitats and ecosystems and setting up actions for its eradication/limitation

Historical Changes in Urban and Peri-Urban Forests: Evidence from the Galați Area, Romania

In Romania, urban and peri-urban forests (UPUF) have been subject to significant transformations during the past centuries, especially during the post-communist period. The current paper seeks to provide an integrated assessment of UPUF in one of the most dynamic and densely populated urban areas in Romania, i.e., Galați, in terms of historical overview, forest structure and dynamics, and conservation of forest ecosystems, and the way all these aspects are reflected in the toponymy. The analysis covers three main time intervals: (1) until the 20th century, (2) the first half of the 20th century, and (3) the second half of the 20th century through the beginning of the 21st century. For each of the three intervals, complex quantitative spatial and temporal analyses were performed at the level of the Local Administrative Unit (LAU) using in-depth documentation of relevant historical records and geospatial data for selected years (1912, 1948, 1976, 2002, and 2018) derived from cartographic materials and satellite images. Significant changes in the urban and peri-urban forests were evidenced, but the most notable were observed since the 19th century in relation to the new political and socio-economic context, which pushed deforestation processes to support settlement expansion (though urbanization and suburbanization) and agricultural development (intensification and extensification). These processes gradually expanded until the beginning of the 21st century under the socio-economic changes during the communist regime and the post-communist period. Galați area has more than tripled in size, which led to a significant pressure on the forest-covered area, followed by changes in its structure and composition

On the Biogeographical Significance of Protected Forest Areas in Southern Romania

The current study is seeking to highlight the biogeographical significance of the protected areas located in southern Romania, a territory continuously exposed to strong human pressure since early times (e.g., extensive/intensive agricultural use, industrialization, urbanization/suburbanization processes). As a result, the primeval vegetation has been massively transformed and forests have been significantly fragmented and reduced to even smaller surfaces (e.g., Călăraşi County has the smallest forest-covered area in Romania). Under these conditions, the current forest patches have suffered important floristic and faunistic structural changes. Some forest remnants have been assigned protected areas status of biogeographical significance, as they host and preserve valuable southern arboreta species and xerothermal associations, secular and multi-secular arboreta (even some virgin arboreta), relict, endemic or unique species, or having their world biological limit. To stress the biogeographical significance of the forest protected areas, the authors carried out in-depth investigations of the ecosystem structure focusing on the spatial and statistical changes occurring over recent centuries and the key phyto- and zoological elements relied on the cross-referencing the biological, biogeographical, and geographical scientific literature and on the reviewing of the historical data sources. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the biogeographical elements based on selected indicative taxa (Quercus species) and witness species considered important for southern Romania, which were able to reconstruct the original ecosystems to explain and understand their significance for the preservation of the current ecosystems