Wetlands of international importance cover 5pct of Romania's area

Wetlands of international importance in Romania, designated as Ramsar sites, cover more than 1.1 million hectares or 5pct of the country's area, according to a post published on Wednesday by the Apele Romane National Administration (ANAR) on Facebook.

"Today, on World Wetlands Day, we present to you some of the 20 Ramsar sites of international importance, designated by Romania from 1991 until now. They amount to more than 1.1 million hectares nationwide (5pct of the territory), with the Danube Delta representing more than half of the total," ANAR informs.

The "Apele Romane" (Romanian Waters) authority shows that wetlands, located on the border of two different physical and ecological systems, aquatic and terrestrial, are among the most productive ecosystems in the world in terms of biodiversity.

Thus, 40pct of the world's plant and animal species live in such areas, according to ANAR, areas that act as true "shields" to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially by reducing the risk of floods.

The same source shows that it is necessary to find solutions to restore floodplains to rivers.