Văcăreşti Lake "could become a nature reserve"

The Minister of Environment, Rovana Plumb, officially announced Tuesday the government's intentions to turn Văcăreşti Lake into a protected urban natural area, a sort of Capital Delta , which will be arranged after a similar pattern from Argentina.

What makes from this area left derelict for many years an eligible one to be converted into a natural area, explains the editor of the magazine "National Geographic", Cristian Lascu, one of the initiators of the project.

"It has not only the aspect of a delta, but contains a vigorous and rich biodiversity, because it is a wetland, permanently maintained by some sources that work.

"There are many aquatic creatures and these aquatic creatures are eaten by larger creatures, and thus, there is an entire ecosystem.

"There are almost 90 species of birds, which is quite remarkable, and, as experts say - here's biodiversity that we have in a natural park or a national park," says editor-in-chief of "National Geographic ", Cristian Lascu.

The transformation initiative in the area of Văcăreşti Lake in natural area faces the people’s protest who have ownership rights to certain parts of it.

Their grievances were presented Tuesday.

Owners will be compensated

"We are owners, me and my sister, on a piece of land of 14,000 square meters. I spent 17 years within the court.

Currently we have three finals and irrevocable, so we were approved also the registration of ownership.

"Assuming that they want to make a reservation, owners should be taken into account. If called to be expropriated, here, to give us compensation at the market price. I can only say that at the beginning of the year, the notary, here, inside the lake, the notary grid was between 400 and 600 euros per square meter ", said Ileana Florea who is one of those in this situation.

The Minister of Environment, Rovana Plumb, held a first discussion Tuesday with those who consider themselves wronged and invited them next week at the institution, to set up the legal framework in which their situation must be solved.

Meanwhile, she assured that ownership right will be respected.

It is also possible to provide compensatory measures, says the Minister of Environment.

Decisions will be announced as soon as possible, in any case.

The Minister added that legal steps will be respected from the completion of scientific studies and until the government decision that will regulate the status of new reserves and which will be completed in 3-4 months.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University