6th‐8th of March 2017  | HAȚEG, ROMANIA 

IMPACT REPORT on the International Conference,

and Study Visits in Hațeg Country, Romania 

 

 

  

 

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1.INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEThepurposeoftheconferencewastoshareexperiencesbetweenpartnersandstakeholdersintheIMPACTprojectinthefieldofprotectedareasmanagement.Targetgroupoftheevent:

‐ partners in the IMPACT project and their stakeholders, to whom good practices inRomaniawillbepresented;

‐ Romanian stakeholders in the project, respectively the representatives of theadministrations of protected areas from Romania (Haţeg Country Dinosaurs Geopark,DanubeDeltaBiosphereReserveAuthority,RodnaMountainsNational Park, IronGateNaturePark,VânătoriNeamțNaturePark,RetezatNationalPark),representativesoftheMinistryofTourism,NationalAgency forNaturalProtectedAreas,EconomicandSocialDevelopmentAgencyofHunedoaraCounty,WWF,RetezatTourismAssociation.

Theunfoldingoftheconference:TheconferencewasopenedbyMrs.CristinaLixăndroiu,INCDT,whowelcomedallthepartnersandparticipantsonbehalfoftheorganizers.Duringthisplenarysession,welcomeremarkswerealsoexpressedbyMr.MayorMarcelGoia,Haţeg City Hall and Mrs. Diana Iakab, The Economic and Social Development Agency ofHunedoaraCounty.

Speakers:Mrs.CristinaLixăndroiu,NationalInstituteofResearchandDevelopmentinTourismMrs.MadalinaTeodoraAndrei,NationalAgencyofNaturalProtectedAreasMr.CristianCiobanu,HaţegCountryDinosaursGeoparkMs.PetraLînaru,Ms.ArminaMiclăuș,Ms.AliciaPetresc,Ms.ClaudiaDrăgan,Ms.OanaIndrecan,Mr.RareșCoantă,Mr.RobertDumbuleuandMr.DavidMuntean,HaţegUGGVolunteerandAmbassadorProgramMr.AlexandruBulacu,RetezatTourismAssociationMr.FlorinHalastauan,WWFMr.IusanClaudiu,RodnaMountainsNationalParkAdministrationMrs.AlinaCodreanu,DanubeDeltaBiosphereReserveAuthorityMr.FelixBaratky,IronGatesNaturalParkAdministrationMr.SebastianCătonoiu,VânătoriNeamțNaturalParkAdministrationModerators:Mrs.CristinaLixăndroiu,NationalInstituteofResearchandDevelopmentinTourismMr.CristianCiobanu,HaţegCountryDinosaursGeopark

 

 

  

 

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In the opening of the conference,Mrs. CristinaLixăndroiu,theprojectmanagerbelongingtotheNationalInstituteofResearchandDevelopmentinTourism (RO), made a short description of theIMPACT project. In itwere presented the projectpartners, the project objectives, theimplementation period, it was described themanner in which the first phase of the projectwould be run, emphasizing simultaneously therole of the stakeholders in this process, and alsohowthesecondphaseoftheprojectwouldunfold.ThesecondpresentationwasdeliveredbyMrs.MadalinaTeodoraAndrei,NationalAgencyofNaturalProtectedAreas‐ANANP(Romania).ANANPisapublicinstitutionwithlegalpersonality,operatesundertheauthorityofthecentral

public authority for environmental protection.This institutionwasestablishedbyLaw95/2016andG.D.no.997/21.12.2016andisfinancedfromown revenues and subsidies granted from thestatebudget.In the first part of the presentation,Mrs. Andreimadeadescriptionofthenationalprotectedareasystem, which covers approximately 23% of thecountry'ssurface(including"Natura2000"sites).In the second part of her presentation, Mrs.Andrei laid out the reasons why this institution

wasestablished, itsmissionand itsmain tasks, highlighting the roleofANANP in theunitarymonitoringofthemanagementofprotectednaturalareasandintheharmonizingthenationalpoliciesinthefieldoftheprotectionofbiodiversity.The next presentation was that ofMr. Cristian Ciobanu, who offered an overview on themeaningoftheconceptofageoparkthatispartofGlobalGeoparksNetwork,anetworkworkingundertheaegisofUNESCO.Haţeg Country Dinosaurs Geopark is one of 127geosparksofthe35countrieswhicharepartofthisnetwork.TheGeoparkhasbeenestablishedin2004,andsince2005ithasbeenpartofthenetwork.Thespeakermade a presentation of the geopark and oftheactivitiesthatarecarriedoutthere.Starting with 2014, Haţeg Country DinosaursGeopark has developed a unitary interpretativeconceptinwhichtherearethreestrategicdirectionsofinterpretation:"theStoryofEarth–Geodiversity","theStoryofLife‐Biodiversity",and"theStoryoftheHumanBeing‐Culture".Insteadofbuildingalargegeoparkvisitinghub,anetworkofinterpretationthatincludessevenvisitingcentres,basedondifferentthemesandspreadinseverallocalitiesofthepark,hasbeen

 

 

  

 

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developed. (House of the Geopark, House of Science and Art, House of Volcanoes, House ofMiniatures,HouseofTraditions,HouseofDwarfDinosaurs,HouseofStones).Also,acalendarofannual events (the Cross of the Royal Fortress of Haţeg, the European Geoparks Week, theCelebrationoftheGeopark,theDinosaurs'FestivalandtheAnnualDayoftheVolcanoesandsoon)wasdrawn.Similarly, several projects have been developed, combining the visiting infrastructure withvolunteeringandeducationactions,including"GeoparkVolunteers"(200enrolledvolunteers),and"GeoparkAmbassadors"(18Ambassadors).Overthelastyears,theGeoparkhasbeeninvolvedinthesustainabledevelopmentoftourism,beinganactivepartnerwithintheecotourismdestinationofHaţegCountry–Retezat.Asaresultoftouristmonitoringactivities,itstoodoutthatthegeoparkwasthesecondreasonmotivatingtouriststotraveltothisdestination,afterRetezatMountains.A moment that benefited from very much appreciation from those who participated in thisconferencewasthepresentationmadebyagroupofeightyoungambassadorsofthegeopark,who talked about the two programmes: "Geopark Volunteers" and "Geopark Ambassadors".

Therewerehighlightedthetrainingcoursesandthe activities that must be performed by avolunteer in order for he or she to become anambassador.Theyspokeabouttheactivitiesthatvolunteers are involved in (building the visitingcentres ‐ House of Stones, House of Volcanoesetc.; in running local events ‐ the Cross of theRoyalFortressofHaţeg, theEuropeanGeoparksWeek,theAnnualCelebrationoftheGeopark,theDinosaurs'FestivalandtheDayoftheVolcanoesetc; in the cultural exchanges ‐ the Journey of

AndiAndezit; in thepromotionof thegeopark ‐GGNYouth InstagramProjectetc.).Theyalsotalked about the impact that these programmes has had on communities and about how thevolunteershavechangedtheirliveswithjoiningtheteamofthegeopark.Mr. Alexandru Bulacu (Retezat TourismAssociation) made both a presentation of theassociation and a presentation of the ecotourismdestination of Haţeg Country – Retezat. RetezatTourism Association, established in 2007, is amanagement unit whose main purpose is thedevelopment and promotion of the ecotourismdestinationofHaţegCountry–Retezat, certifiedbythe Ministry of Tourism in 2016. The destinationwas established on the basis of a partnership ofinstitutions and units involved in the field oftourism, environmental protection and education and bodies of the local and central publicadministration.The ecotourism destination of Haţeg Country – Retezat is part of a network of severaldestinationsdevelopedatthenational levelwiththesupportof theEcotourismAssociationofRomania and recognized by theMinistry of Tourism (four destinations have benefited so farfrombeingrecognizedandothereightarebeingrecognizedcurrently).

 

 

  

 

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Subsequently, Mr. Bulacu talked about the tourist zoning of the destination and the touristactivitiescarriedoutwithineacharea.Healsotalkedaboutorganizedtourismandeducationalactivities,promotionalactivities,theeventsorganizedandsoon.Mr.FlorinHălăștăuan(WWF)presentedtheProjecttoreintroducethebisonsintoRomania,intheSouth‐WestCarpathians.Theproject, started in2012, is thesecondof itskind inRomania

aftertheonedevelopedintheVânătoriNeamţNaturalPark.Currently,thereareabout24animalsintheareaof Ţarcu Mountains and in the future there will becreated another dedicated habitat in Poiana RuscăMountains,andacorridorwillbecreatedbetweenthetwoareas.Mr. Hălăștăuan explained the process of releasing tothe wild of the European bisons / acclimatization oftheEuropeanbisonsandtheinfrastructurecreatedforthis purpose. The WWF project also pursues two

secondarydirections:a. educationandraisingawarenessontheimportanceofreleasingthebisonsintothewild; b. developmentoflocalcommunitiesthroughtourism,throughprogrammesrelatedtothe

releaseofthebisonsintothewild. Mr.IusanClaudiu (RodnaMountainsNationalParkAdministration) delivered a presentation on theRodna Mountains National Park (of the naturalvaluesthattheparkboasts)andtheactivitiescarriedout by the Park administration (biodiversityconservation;ecotourismmanagement;environmentaleducation; habitat restoration; culture preservation;Biospherereservemanagement). Theparticipatorymonitoring system (oneof the goodpractices selectedby INCDTunder theIMPACTproject)wasalsopresented.Participatorybiodiversitymonitoringhasbeeninitiatedin2004,whentherehavebeenestablishedthefirststudentclubsaroundtheprotectedareaandwhosepurposewastocollect fielddataoncertaintargetspeciesof floraandfauna(daffodils,bats,birds,bugs,butterflies,blackgoats,marmots).Between2004and2017, thecoreofECOClubs had expanded, forming a network of 20 clubs in ten neighbouring locations (over 500volunteers ‐ students, over 50 researchers, over 25 coordinating teachers, rangers, andsupervisingbiologists). Amonitoring system for key species in theparkwasput inplacebydeveloping monitoring protocols for 30 species and habitats. The sustainability of themonitoringsystemwasensuredbycreatinganNGOthataccessedmore than25projects thatwereimplementedintheprotectedarea,aswellasthroughthesupportprovidedbytheParkAdministration.Abriefdescriptionofthese projects was provided in thispresentation. Mrs. Alina Codreanu (Danube DeltaBiosphere Reserve Authority) made a

 

 

  

 

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presentationoftheDanubeDeltaBiosphereReserveandofthepublicawarenessandecologicaleducationactivitieswithinthisreserve. Danube Delta is one of the largest delta in Europe (580.000 ha), including one of the mostunspoilt wetlands on the continent. It was declared a biosphere reserve in 1990 by theGovernmentofRomania andby theRomanianParliament.Theuniversal valueof the reservewasrecognizedbytheManandBiosphere(MAB)ProgrammeofUNESCOin1990,throughitsinclusion in the international network of biosphere reserves. Also, the DDBR is listed as awetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (1991) and in theWorldHeritageListundertheWorldCulturalandNaturalHeritageConvention(1990).Raisetheenvironmentalawareness(bothforvisitorsandlocalpeople)andeducationchildrenandpupilsaretwooftheobjectivesoDDBRA.Forwards Mrs. Codreanu has presented public awareness strategy and the environmentaleducationprogrammesdevelopedbyDDBRA.Therewerepresented theactivities carriedoutwithinthesevenInformationandEcologicalEducationCentres,theactivitiescarriedoutduringvariousevents,theactivitiescarriedoutinlocalschoolsandsoon.The next presentation was delivered by Mr. Felix Baratky (Iron Gates Natural Park

Administration). In his speech, Mr. Baratkypresented the initiative called "Friends ofNature".Throughthisproject,eversince2012,itwas proposed that in each school of the 11territorial administrativeunits in theparkwereto be created 11 "Friends of Nature" Groups,selected from among primary and lowersecondaryschoolstudents.Alsohepresentedtheattributions of the Group Friends of Nature,respectively:

information‐documentation actions,carriedoutonamonthlybasis,amongthepupilsintheschool;

actionsofgreeningofthewholeprotectionzonesandofthevisitingroutes; participationinpatrolactionswiththeparkrangers; reaching/repaintingtheexistingmarkingsonthevisitingroutes; actions to prevent illegal deeds that endanger the state of preservation of

biodiversity; expanding the "Friends of Nature"

group with new pupils who areinterested in and noticeable in theiractions.

The last presentation of the conference wasdelivered by Mr. Sebastian Cătonoiu(Vânători Neamț Natural ParkAdministration). Mr. Cătănoiu presented thecommunication means used by VânătoriNeamțNaturalParkaswellasthemonitoringindicators against which the performance ofthecommunicationactivityismeasured.

 

 

  

 

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2.STUDYVISITSHaţegCountryDinosaursGeopark is aUNESCOGlobalGeopark, theonlyone inRomaniaandone of the first to join the European and Global Geopark Networks in 2005. It covers 12communities fromtheHaţegCountryculturalarea,adepressionintheCarpathianMountains.Thisterritorycontainsextraordinarygeologicalheritageandalsonaturalandculturalheritage,beingoneofthemostinterestingareasinTransylvania.ThecoreofthegeoparkistheancientCretaceousfauna,ortheDwarfDinosaursfoundonlyinthisregion.Otherrelevantsitesaretheancientromancapital,thestonemedievalchurches,thebisonreserve,carnivorousplants,manyspeciesofbutterfliesandarichtangibleandintangibleculturalheritage.The Geoparks UNESCO designation is coordinated by the University of Bucharest,whichwasalso inchargeof thecreationof theGeopark in2000‐2004 throughabottom‐upapproach, inpartnershipwith local administrations, companies, universities,NGOs, schools andother.TheUniversity employs an integrated management of education, conservation and sustainabledevelopment. The Geopark uses local values to give the communities a sense of place andidentityandtogeneratenewincomes,especiallythroughgeotourism.TheGeoparkisanopenairlaboratoryforacademicstudies;itdevelopeditsowninterpretationnetwork. During the scheduled study visits, five of the seven Visitor Centres of the HaţegCountryDinosaursGeoparkwerevisited.Insteadofbuildingalargegeoparkvisitinghub,ithasbeendevelopedanetworkofinterpretationthatincludessevenvisitingcentres,withdifferentthemes, and spread across multiple localities of the park (House of the Geopark, House ofScienceandArt,HouseofVolcanoes,HouseofMiniatures,HouseofTraditions,HouseofDwarfDinosaurs, House of Stones). These, focusing on complementary themes, have managed tocreatean interpretive labyrinthwithin thegeoparkandat thesame time toofferavarietyofnewtouristattractionswithintheecotourismdestination.Also, the geopark created an educational network – EduGeopark and one of the mostappreciatedvolunteerprogramsinthecountry–VolunteersfortheGeopark.ThepurposeofthesevisitswastoobservehowthesethreeaspectsofInterpretation‐Education‐VolunteeringhavebeencombinedwithintheGeopark.Also,otherrepresentativetouristobjectiveswerevisitedatthedestination(St.NicholasChurchofDensuș,HaţegVillageMuseumofPeşteanaorMălăieştiFortress,and"Haţegana"Cooperative,aunitthathasbehindatraditionof47‐yearsinclothescraftsmanship).Allof theseobjectivesarepartneredwiththeGeopark,beingpromotedbythelatterorcollaboratingwithitinvariousprojects.An important point within the study visit was the contact with the members of the RetezatNationalParkandthevisittotheFallsofLolaia.HaţegCountryDinosaursGeoparkisapartnerwithRetezatNationalParkinthedevelopmentoftheecotourismdestinationofHaţegCountry‐RetezatandthatisoneofthefourecotourismdestinationsrecognizedsofarbytheRomanianMinistryofTourism.

 

 

  

 

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AnotherobjectiveofthevisitprogrammewasthetriptoSlivuţEuropeanBoarReserve.Duringthisvisit,wasemphasized thericheffortmadeat the international level tosave thismammalracethatisabouttodisappear.Also,onthisoccasionwaspresentedtheprojectrelatedtothereleaseofthebisonsintothewild.AlastaspectoftheplannedstudyvisitswasrelatedtotheinvolvementoflocalcommunitiesinGeopark'sactivities,andontheeveningof8March2018wasorganizedatraditionaltastingofthetypicalproductsofferedbytheWomen'sAssociationofSântămăriaOrlea.7thofMarch2018TheHouseofDinosaursTheExhibition "Dragons,Raptors andDinosaurs" ishousedattheheadquartersoftheGeoparkofHaţeg.Thisconceptexploitsthelegendsofthedragons,thedragonmythandthefascinationwithdinosaursthatwe display. The main hero is «Balaurul bondoc» /«the stocky dinosaur», a species of Transylvaniandinosaur, and the story of its discovery andreconstitution is the main attraction of theexhibition.ItsreconstructioniscarriedoutbyBrianCooley,whoisahighlyreputedinternationalexpert.

The House of Science and Art – is one of theGeopark'sinterpretationcentreswhichtellthestoryof thedwarfdinosaurs'nestsandeggs.Herecanbeseen threeoriginal70millionyearsoldnestsandascientific reconstruction ofMagyarosaurus dacus. Asecond section of this visitor centre is dedicated tolocalartists,byprovidingaspacewheretheirworksareexposed.

HaţegVillageMuseum isaprivatemuseumwhereNea Anton gathered, during a lifetime, interestingobjectsfromthecommunity'spastandpresent.

 

 

  

 

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PeșteanaMarshNatureReserve–theplaceofthecarnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia or theSundew.It isalsoanimportantmythicplaceforthelocals, where animals are swallowed by the evilforces.

St.NicholasChurchDensuș ‐ Some believe that itwasatfirstaRomantempleoftheMars,transformedintoachurchinthe12‐13thcentury.Othersbelievethat it was the mausoleum of Roman generalLonginus Maximus, whose wife discovered theChristian religion and arranged the first churchnorthof theDanube in theplaceof themausoleum.Today, the church is unusual, being a mixture ofstylesandmaterials.TheHouseofVolcanoes ispartof thevisitingandeducation network of the Haţeg Country DinosaursGeopark ‐ a UNESCO International Geopark. This isan example of a partnership between the Geopark,the "DragdeHaţeg"Association ("[Weare]FondofHaţeg") and the local community and a model ofgood practice in involving volunteers into severalactivities. Through this infrastructure, visitors aregiven the opportunity to actively learn, experience,exploreandfathomtheEarth'sStory.

8thofMarch2018“Haţegana”Association,aunitthathasbehindatraditionof47‐yearsinclothescraftsmanship.

 

 

  

 

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Retezat National Park‐ Containing more than60peaksover2,300mandover100crystalcleardeep glacier lakes, the Retezat Mountains aresome of the most beautiful in the Carpathians.TheareasheltersoneofEurope'slastremainingintact old‐growth forest and the continent'slargest single area of pristine mixed forest. In1979 the Man and Biosphere Program ofUNESCO included the park in the internationalnetworkofbiospherereserves.

Mălăiești Fortress ‐ The only medievalreconstructed fortress in the region. It tells thestories of the Age of Knights in a dangerousregionattheedgeofEurope.

BisonReserve,Slivuţ‐Thereservewasfoundedin the late 1950s, being the oldest in Romania.ThebisonisthelargestlandanimalinEurope,are‐wildingprojectisundergoingintheregion.

TheHouseofDwarfDinosaurswassetupinaformer pub of Sânpetru Village. The role of theexhibitionisnotonlytoprovideinformation,butalso to educate those who come to see it, forpeople to become familiarized with thegeological past and heritage of this area. Thecentre hosts a reconstruction of Elopteryxnopcsai.

 

 

  

 

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TheHouseofTraditions is a centre set up byOrlea Sânămăria Women Association inpartnershipwiththeGeopark.The Centre regularly organizes events such as:Tincture Plant Workshop, Local Produce Fair(fabrics, pumpkin oil, and soap), AnnualCelebrationoftheGeopark,DinosaurWorkshop.