Retezat National Park
Template:Short description Template:Infobox protected area
The Retezat National Park (Template:Langx) is a protected area located in the Retezat Mountains in Hunedoara County, Romania. Founded in 1935, it is the oldest national park in the country and categorized as a category II IUCN national park.
Retezat is particularly notable for its biodiverse flora, with over 1,000 species of plants present within the park. It is also home to some of the last remaining pristine old-growth forests in Europe. Despite its protected status, recent decades have seen an increase in damaging activities such as logging and sheep-grazing in the park, as well as threats to its status as public property.
History
The Retezat region has been a subject of scientific interest, particularly with regard to its flora, since at least the early 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During the 1930s, several scientific personalities like Alexandru Borza and Emil Racoviță campaigned for the creation of nature reserves in the country.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1935, the Tătărescu government set aside Template:Convert of the Retezat Mountains, creating the country's first national park. It took four more years for legislation to be passed regarding the park's status, paving the way for all future protected areas of Romania.<ref name=":0" />
In 1979, UNESCO included the park in the Man and the Biosphere Program international network of biosphere reserves, while in 1993 it was included by the International Union for Conservation of Nature among its demonstration projects on sustainable rural development.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> In 2008 it was granted the European Diploma of Protected Areas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Since the 1990s, sheep grazing and logging increased considerably in the region, damaging the park's natural capital. In the 21st century, Retezat has been the subject of several ecological restoration efforts.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 2006 the Romanian state decided in favor of heirs to the Austro-Hungarian aristocratic family Kendeffy, who claimed Template:Cvt of land in the Retezat Mountains, including large tracts of the park, under a law allowing the restitution of property seized by previous regimes. The Romanian Academy, who was granted the land in the 1930s, challenged the decision. After a lengthy trial, the land restitution was deemed illegal by a 2022 court decision, and the park returned to being state property.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Description
The park contains more than sixty peaks over Template:Cvt and about eighty glacier lakes, of which 54 are permanent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Peleaga, the highest peak of the Retezat Mountains, Template:Convert is located in the park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
}}</ref> Currently the park occupies Template:Convert.<ref>Template:In lang apmhd.anpm.ro - Agenția pentru Protecția Mediului Hunedoara Template:Webarchive; retrieved on June 14, 2012</ref>
Flora
The flora of Retezat demonstrates "exceptional biodiversity", consisting of approximately 1,190 plant species, of which 130 have the "endangered" or "vulnerable" status. More than a third of Romania's flora can be found in this area.<ref name=":2" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mountain pine and juniper habitats are dominant, with spruce and rhododendron also common.<ref name=":2" />
The park is often described as containing ”Europe's last intact forest", as it harbors one of the few remaining intact old-growth forest landscapes and the largest single area of pristine mixed forest on the continent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Gemenele ("The Twins" in Romanian) scientific reserve is a strictly protected area of the park enclosing 1,800 hectares of intact old-growth forest.<ref name=":1" />
Fauna
The gray wolf, brown bear, wild boar, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, chamois, roe deer, red deer, Eurasian badger, Eurasian otter, stoat and the beech marten are among the 55 species of mammal that live in the park, almost a quarter of all mammals in Romania being represented here.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Alpine marmot was introduced in the scientific reserve in 1973 and has since spread to the rest of the park.<ref name=":4" /> An important center for bat conservation, Retezat is home to 13 species of the Chiroptera order, including the Greater horseshoe bat, Parti-coloured bat and the Soprano pipistrelle.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The park is also home to more than a hundred bird species, many of which are protected in Romania. Present species include the western capercaillie, common kingfisher, lesser spotted eagle, black grouse, short-toed snake eagle, Eurasian eagle-owl, corn crake, black woodpecker, peregrine falcon, collared flycatcher, and the golden eagle, which is depicted on the park's logo.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> The park was included by BirdLife International among its Important Bird Areas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Over 1000 species of butterflies were identified in the area, with the park containing two European Prime Butterfly Areas.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
See also
References
External links
- Official site
- Map of the Park Template:Webarchive
- Jiu Valley Portal - the home of the Official Jiu Valley City Websites and a gateway to the Retezat National Park and other destinations in the Transylvanian Alps
- Maps of the Retezat and other mountain ranges in the Transylvanian Alps
- Touristic Maps of the Retezat Mountains Template:Webarchive
Template:Seven Natural Wonders of Romania Template:Protected areas of Romania