View source for Danube Delta

{{short description|River delta in Europe}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = Danube Delta
| Image       = File:Danube Delta ESA23450088.jpeg
| Location    = [[Tulcea County]], Romania and [[Odesa Oblast]], Ukraine
| ID          = 588
| Year        = 1991
| Criteria    = Natural: vii, x
| Area        = 312,440 ha
| locmapin    = Romania#Ukraine
| Coordinates = {{coord|45|12|N|29|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| embedded    = {{Designation list
 |embed       = yes
 |designation1 = Ramsar
 |designation1_date = 21 May 1991
 |designation1_number = 521<ref>{{Cite web |title=Danube Delta |website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/521 |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408154524/https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/521 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
}}
The '''Danube Delta''' ({{langx|ro|Delta Dunării}}, {{IPA|ro|ˈdelta ˈdunərij|pron|Ro-Delta Dunării.ogg}}; {{langx|uk|Дельта Дунаю|Del'ta Dunaju}}, {{IPA|ro|delʲˈtɑ dʊnɐˈju|pron}}) is the second largest [[river delta]] in Europe, after the [[Volga Delta]], and is the best preserved on the continent.<ref name=WHS>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588 |title=Danube Delta – UNESCO World Heritage Centre<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2019-12-26 |archive-date=2008-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127014732/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588 |url-status=live }}</ref> Occurring where the [[Danube|Danube River]] empties into the [[Black Sea]], most of the Danube Delta lies in [[Romania]] ([[Tulcea County]]), with a small part located in [[Ukraine]] ([[Odesa Oblast]]).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220304220933/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/ukraine/ Biosphere Reserves in Ukraine], UNESCO. [Retrieved 2 June 2019].</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220509010537/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/romaniaukraine/danube-delta/ Biosphere Reserves: Danube Delta], UNESCO. [Retrieved 2 June 2019].</ref> Its approximate surface area is {{convert|4,152|km2|0|abbr=off}}, of which {{cvt|3,446|km2|0}} is in Romania. With the lagoons of [[Lake Razelm|Razim–Sinoe]] ({{cvt|1,015|km2|0|disp=or}} with {{cvt|865|km2|0|disp=or}} water surface), located south of the main delta, the total area of the Danube Delta is {{cvt|5,165|km2|0}}. The Razim–Sinoe lagoon complex is geologically and ecologically related to the delta proper; the combined territory is listed as a [[List of World Heritage Sites in Romania|World Heritage Site]].
[[File:TulceaDonaudelta2010Video.ogv|thumb|Danube Delta near [[Tulcea]] (2010)]]

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Danube Delta evolution.gif|325px|thumb|left|Historical evolution of the Danube Delta (AD 1 – 2015)]]
The modern Danube Delta began to form after 4000 BC in a bay of the [[Black Sea]] when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube bay where the river initially built its delta. Upon filling the bay with [[sediment]], the delta advanced outside this barrier-blocked estuary after 3500 BC, building several successive lobes:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Giosan |first1=Liviu |last2=Donnelly |first2=Jeffrey P. |last3=Constantinescu |first3=Stefan |last4=Filip |first4=Florin |last5=Ovejanu |first5=Ionut |last6=Vespremeanu-Stroe |first6=Alfred |last7=Vespremeanu |first7=Emil |last8=Duller |first8=Geoff A.T. |title=Young Danube delta documents stable Black Sea level since the middle Holocene: Morphodynamic, paleogeographic, and archaeological implications |journal=Geology |date=2006 |volume=34 |issue=9 |pages=757–760 |doi=10.1130/G22587.1 |bibcode=2006Geo....34..757G }}</ref> the St. George I (3500–1600 BC), the Sulina (1600–0 BC), the St. George II (0 BC–present) and the Chilia or Kilia (1600 AD–present). Several other internal lobes were constructed in the lakes and lagoons bordering the Danube Delta to the north (Chilia I and II) and toward the south (Dunavatz).<ref name=SR83012 /> Much of the [[alluvium]] in the delta and major expansion of its surface area in the form of lobes resulted from [[Erosion#Vegetative cover|soil erosion]] associated with human clearing of forests in the Danube basin during the [[1st millennium|1<sup>st</sup>]] and 2<sup>nd</sup> millenniums.<ref name=NYT91412>{{cite news |title=Comments From Ancient Deforestation, a Delta Is Born |url=http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/from-ancient-deforestation-a-delta-is-born/ |access-date=17 September 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=14 September 2012 |author=Rachel Newer |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501005406/https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/from-ancient-deforestation-a-delta-is-born/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=SR83012>{{cite journal |title=Early Anthropogenic Transformation of the Danube-Black Sea System |journal=Scientific Reports |date=30 August 2012 |volume=2 |issue=article number 582 |pages=582 |doi=10.1038/srep00582 |author1=Liviu Giosan |author2=Marco J. L. Coolen |author3=Jed O. Kaplan |author4=Stefan Constantinescu |author5=Florin Filip |author6=Mariana Filipova-Marinova |author7=Albert J. Kettner |author8=Nick Thom |quote=Sediment loads delivered by Danube River, the main tributary of the Black Sea, significantly increased as land use intensified in the last two millennia, which led to a rapid expansion of its delta. |pmid=22937219 |pmc=3430877 |bibcode=2012NatSR...2..582G }}</ref> Geologist [[Liviu Giosan]] told ''The New York Times'': 
<blockquote>Probably 40% of the Delta was built in the last 1,000 years. Finding that was like a eureka moment.<ref name=NYT91412/></blockquote>

At present, the delta suffers from a large [[Sedimentary budget|sediment deficit]], after the construction of dams on the Danube and its tributaries in the later half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Construction of a dense network of shallow channels in the delta over the same period, a [[Sedimentation enhancing strategies|sedimentation enhancing strategy]], attenuated the deficit on the delta plain but increased erosion along the coast.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Giosan |first1=Liviu |last2=Constantinescu |first2=Stefan |last3=Filip |first3=Florin |last4=Deng |first4=Bing |title=Maintenance of large deltas through channelization: Nature vs. humans in the Danube delta |journal=Anthropocene |date=2013 |volume=1 |pages=35–45 |doi=10.1016/j.ancene.2013.09.001 |bibcode=2013Anthr...1...35G }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Study Offers Economical Solutions for Maintaining Critical Delta Environments |url=http://www.whoi.edu/news-release/maintaining_deltas |website= |access-date=10 June 2021 }}</ref> The Danube Delta is a low [[alluvial plain]], mostly covered by [[wetlands]] and water. It consists of an intricate pattern of marshes, channels, streamlets and lakes. The average altitude is 0.52 m, with 20% of the territory below sea level, and more than half not exceeding one meter in altitude. Dunes on the most extensive [[strand plain]]s of the delta (Letea and Caraorman strand plains) stand higher (12.4 m and 7 m respectively). The largest lakes are lakes Dranov (21.7 km<sup>2</sup>), Roșu (14.5 km<sup>2</sup>) and Gorgova (13.8 km<sup>2</sup>).
[[File:Dalmatian Pelican and Great Cormorant in danube delta.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|Dalmatian pelican and great cormorant]]

=== Distributaries of the Danube ===

The Danube branches into three main [[Distributary|distributaries]] into the delta: the [[Chilia branch|Chilia]], [[Sulina branch|Sulina]], and [[Sfântu Gheorghe branch|Sfântul Gheorghe]]. The last two branches form the '''Tulcea channel''', which continues as a single body for several kilometers after the separation from the Chilia. At the mouths of each channel [[Alluvion|gradual formation of new land]] takes place, as the delta continues to expand.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Main distributaries of the Danube
|-
! Danube arm
!Length (km)
!Flow (m<sup>3</sup>/s)<br>(1921–1990)
|-
! [[Chilia branch|Chilia]]
| 120
| 3,800
|-
! [[Sulina branch|Sulina]]
| 64
| 1,250
|-
! [[Sfântu Gheorghe branch|Sfântu Gheorghe]]
| 70
| 1,500
|}
[[File:Danube Delta Distributary.jpg|thumb|Danube Delta Distributary in Kyslytsia village, Ukraine]]
The [[Chilia branch]], in the north, the longest, youngest, and most vigorous, with two secondary internal deltas and one microdelta in full process of formation at its mouth (to Ukraine).

The [[Sulina branch]], the central and thus the shortest arm, which consequently led to its extensive use for traffic and severe transformation. At its mouth is located the main port and a single settlement with urban characteristics of the Romanian part of the delta. Because of the [[alluvium]] deposited at its mouth, a channel gradually advancing into the sea (presently it has 10km) was built in order to protect navigation.

The [[Sfântu Gheorghe branch]] (Saint George in English), in the south, is the oldest and most sparsely populated. Its [[alluvium]] has led to the creation, beginning in 1897, of the [[Sacalin Island]]s, which today measures 19km in length.
[[File:Danube delta chart.png|600px|thumb|center|Map created in 2010]]
[[File:Cañas (Phragmites australis), Delta del Danubio, Rumanía, 2016-05-28, DD 18.jpg|thumb|Danube Delta in Romania]]

=== Climate ===

The Danube Delta is considered to be among Romania's sunniest and driest regions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pont |first=Ulrich |date=2021 |title=Thermal Performance Analysis of Vernacular Houses in the Danube Delta |url=https://repositum.tuwien.at/bitstream/20.500.12708/18532/1/Ivan%20Adrian%20Bebe%20-%202021%20-%20Thermal%20performance%20analysis%20of%20vernacular%20houses%20in...pdf |access-date=24 November 2024 |website=Teschnische Universität Wien}}</ref> The mean annual temperature is 11 °C (−1 °C in January and +22 °C in July), with mean precipitation between 300 and 400 mm/year. 

=== {{anchor|Main ecosytems}}Main ecosystems ===
[[File:Denube Delta Bank.JPG|thumb|Danube Delta in Romania]]
[[File:LeteaMill.jpg|thumb|upright|Danube Delta: old mill in [[Letea]]]]

The Danube Delta falls within the [[Pannonian steppe]] [[ecosystem]] of eastern Europe, with Mediterranean influences. As a young region in full process of consolidation, the Danube Delta represents a very favourable place for the development of highly diverse [[flora]] and [[fauna]], unique{{clarify|date=January 2016}} in Europe, with numerous rare species. It hosts 23 natural ecosystems, but due to the extent of [[wetlands]] an aquatic environment is prevalent; a terrestrial environment is also present on the higher grounds of the continental [[levees]], where [[xerophile]] ecosystems have developed. Between the aquatic and terrestrial environments is interposed a swampy, easily flooded strip of original flora and fauna, with means of adaptation to water or land, depending on the season or [[hydrological]] regime. At the contact between freshwater and sea water, some special physical, chemical and biological processes take place, which have led biologists to consider this area as a very different ecosystem called '''beforedelta'''. Musura Gulf, north of Sulina, and Saint George Gulf are considered the most representative of this type of ecosystem.

Situated on major migratory routes, and providing adequate conditions for nesting and hatching, the Danube Delta is a magnet for birds from six major [[ecoregions]] of the world, including the Mongolian, Arctic and Siberian. There are over 320 species of birds found in the delta during summer,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588/video |title=Danube Delta – UNESCO World Heritage Centre<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2019-12-26 |archive-date=2019-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510210914/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588/video |url-status=live }}</ref> of which 166 are hatching species and 159 are migratory. Over one million individual birds (including swans, ducks, and [[Eurasian coot|coots]]) winter here.

==== Ecosystem of running water ====

This comprises the arms of the Danube, and a series of its more important streamlets and channels. It is an environment rich in [[plankton]], worms, [[mollusc]]s, [[Larva|grub]]s, and [[sponge]]s, with numerous species of fish, such as the [[carp]], [[pike (disambiguation)#Fishes|pike]], [[pike perch]], [[sheat-fish]], and freshwater [[sturgeons]] ([[sterlet]], Vyza{{Typo help inline|reason=Vyza? Please give Latin name|date=February 2021}}  and Danube mackerel{{Typo help inline|reason=Suspicious vernacular name. Please give Latin name|date=February 2021}}).

==== Ecosystem of stagnant water ====
[[File:Danube Flower.jpg|thumb|''[[Nymphaea alba]]'' in the Danube Delta]]
This environment includes the lakes, and various ponds, streamlets and channels. It is characterized by a rich floating and submerse flora (''[[Myriophyllum]]'', ''[[Ceratophyllum]]'', ''[[Vallisneria]]'', under the water; ''[[Nymphaea alba]]'', ''[[Nuphar lutea]]'', ''[[Trapa natans]]'', ''[[Alisma plantago]]'', floating plants with roots near the lakes' borders; and ''[[Salvinia natans]]'', ''[[Stratiotes aloides]]'', ''[[Spirogyra]]'', floating plants without roots, having negative effect for aquatic [[bioproductivity]]). Of the fish, the most important are [[Tench]] (''Tinca tinca''), [[common bream]] (''Abramis brama''), [[common rudd]] (''Scardinius erythropthalmus''), [[Prussian carp]] (''Carassius auratus gibelio''), [[wels catfish]] (''Silurus glanis''), [[European perch]] (''Perca fluviatilis''), and [[northern pike]] (''Esox lucius'').

==== Ecosystem of marshy and flooding areas ====
[[File:Pelicani din Delta Dunarii.PNG|thumb|Pelicans in Danube Delta]]
[[File:RO004MS-04.jpg|thumb|The Danube Delta birds: [[grey heron]] (''Ardea cinerea''), [[mallard]] or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos''), [[great white pelican]] (''Pelecanus onocrotalus''), [[great crested grebe]] (''Podiceps cristatus''). Stamp of Romania, 2004]]

Reed plants and floating reed islands (called '''plaur''' in [[Romania]]) are the most common and well-known components of the Danube Delta. Vegetation of this ecosystem consists of the common reed (''[[Phragmites communis]]'') and, on near river banks, mace reed/cattail (''[[Typha latifolia]]'', ''[[Typha angustifolia]]''), sedge (''[[Carex dioica]]'', ''[[Carex stricta]]''), Dutch rush (''[[Scirpus radicans]]'', ''[[Schoenoplectus lacustris]]''), and brook mint (''[[Mentha aquatica]]''). They provide ideal spawning and nesting grounds. The '''plaur''' are a mixture of reed roots, grass and soil, usually floating or anchored to the riverbed. As a rule, the reed surrounds the lakes and ponds, and slowly invades the water surface.

This type of ecosystem is noted for its variety and large population of birds, some of them are very rare. The most important are the [[tufted duck]] (''Aythya fuligula''), [[red-crested pochard]] (''Netta rufina''), [[mallard]] (''Anas platyrhynchos''), [[greylag goose]] (''Anser anser''), [[pygmy cormorant]] (''Microcarbo pygmeus''), [[purple heron]] (''Ardea purpurea''), [[great egret|great white egret]] (''Egretta alba''), [[little egret]] (''Egretta garzetta''), [[Eurasian spoonbill]](''Platalea leucorodia''), [[great white pelican]] (''Pelecanus onocrotalus''), [[Dalmatian pelican]] (''Pelecanus crispus''), [[mute swan]] (''Cygnus olor''), and [[glossy ibis]] (''Plegadis falcinellus''). A recent and welcomed newcomer is the [[common pheasant|pheasant]] (''Phasianus colchicus'').

Among the mammals, there is the [[Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra''), [[European mink]] (''Mustela lutreola''), [[stoat|little ermine]] (''Mustela erminea aestiva''), [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa''), and [[wildcat|wild cat]] (''Felis silvestris''), in winter the [[European hare]] (''Lepus europaeus'') and, on the brink of disappearing from the delta, the wolf and the fox. During the Middle Ages, the [[Caspian tiger]] (''Panthera tigris tigris'') was a resident across the steppes of Ukraine, including Danube Delta, and once, they were hunted to extinction and they're extirpated. The [[raccoon dog|East Asian raccoon dog]] (''Nyctereutes procyonoides''), bizam/introduced [[muskrat]] (''Ondatra zibethica''), and to some extent South American [[nutria]] (''Myocastor coypus''), are recent species that have successfully adapted.

==== River bank and levee ecosystems ====
[[File:Nycticorax nycticorax' AM1 slepowron.jpg|thumb|Black-crowned night heron]]

The firm land of the delta used to be covered with large groves of willow trees, which have been cut down almost entirely and replaced with Canadian poplars. On the river banks kept in their natural state, small groves of willow trees (''[[Salix alba]]'', ''[[Salix euxina|Salix fragilis]]'', ''[[Salix purpurea]]'', ''[[Salix pentandra]]'', and ''[[Salix triandra]]'') can still be found, mixed with white poplar (''[[Populus alba]]''). Occasionally, the willow trees form corridors along the arms and bigger channels of the Danube. On the [[levees]] of [[Letea]] and [[Caraorman]], mixed forests of oaks (''[[Quercus robur]]'', and ''[[Quercus pedunculiflora]]'') with various other  trees (''[[Fraxinus pallisiae]]'', ''[[Ulmus foliaceae]]'', ''[[Populus tremula]]''), shrubs (''[[Prunus spinosa]]'', ''[[Crataegus monogyna]]'', ''[[Rosa canina]]'', and ''[[Berberis vulgaris]]'', among others), and vines (''[[Vitis sylvestris]]'', ''[[Hedera helix]]'', ''[[Humulus lupulus]]'', ''[[Periploca graeca]]'', which reaches up to 25m) grow on [[sand dune]] areas. On the Letea levee, these exotic-looking forests grow especially in the depressions between the sand dunes, in small groves called '''hasmace'''. Fauna of this region include the [[meadow viper]] (''Vipera ursinii''), [[osprey]] (''Pandion haliaetus''), and [[Eurasian eagle owl]] (''Bubo bubo'').

==Inhabitants==
{{more citations needed|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Lipovean.jpg|thumb|Lipovan fisherman of Chilia Veche]]
[[File:Wylkowe-1.JPG|thumb|[[Vylkove]] (Ukraine)]]

With an average population density of 2 people per km<sup>2</sup>, the Danube Delta is one of the least inhabited regions of temperate Europe.<ref name="The Danube Delta-Halmyris">{{Cite web |url=http://www.halmyris.org/history/danube-delta |title=The Danube Delta – Halmyris |website=www.halmyris.org |language=en-US |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-date=9 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709155001/http://www.halmyris.org/history/danube-delta |url-status=dead }}</ref> On the Romanian side live about 20,000 people, of whom 4,600 live in the port of [[Sulina]].{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}. The rest of the population is scattered among 27 villages, of which only three, all situated marginally, had more than 500 people in 2002.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} The city of [[Tulcea]], at the western edge of the delta, has a population of  65,624 as of 2021; it represents the node of the region and the gate to the delta.<ref name="The Danube Delta-Halmyris"/>

Its acute isolation and harsh conditions of living, based mainly on subsistence, made the Danube Delta a place of emigration, or transit at least. Very few of those born in the region stay there through adulthood; at the same time, the origins of its inhabitants vary widely, as people from many parts of [[Romania]] can be found in the delta. The total population has remained more or less constant throughout the 20th century; there were 12,000 inhabitants in the 1890s, and 14,000 before the Second World War.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} [[Romanians]] account for approximately 80% of the population, and [[Ukrainians]] for 10%. Other people living in the delta include ethnic minorities such as Greeks, Turks and Bulgarians (in 1992). Distinctive to the region, but very rare as an ethnic entity, are the [[Lipovans]], descendants of the Orthodox Old Rite followers who fled from religious persecution in Russia during the 18th century.

On the Ukrainian side, located at the northern edge of the delta, the town of [[Izmail]] has a population of 85,000, [[Kiliya, Ukraine|Kiliya]] a population of 21,800, and [[Vilkovo]], the main center of the [[Lipovan]] community, a population of 9,300.

==History==
[[File:Danube mouths 1867.JPG|thumb|upright=1.7|The Danube Delta in 1867, as a part of the Ottoman Empire]]

Recorded history notes that the [[Dacians]] lived in the Danube Delta before it was conquered by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]].  After later invasion by the [[Goths]], the region changed hands many times.  During the 15th century, the Danube Delta became part of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. In 1812, following the [[Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)|Russo-Turkish War]], the borders of the Ottoman and [[Russian Empire]]s were set by the Kilia and Old Stambul Channels of the Danube, and in 1829 by the St George Channel. The [[Treaty of Paris (1856)|Treaty of Paris of 1856]], which ended the [[Crimean War]], assigned the Danube Delta to the [[Ottoman Empire]] and [[Commissions of the Danube River|established an international commission]] which undertook a series of works to help navigation. In 1878, following the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|defeat of Ottoman Empire]] by Russia and Romania, the border between the two countries was set by the Kilia and Old Stambul Channels.

In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of [[UNESCO]]'s list of [[World Heritage Site]]s. Around 2,733km<sup>2</sup> of the delta are strictly protected areas.

In 1998, under UNESCO's [[Programme on Man and the Biosphere]], the 6,264.03km<sup>2</sup> of the Danube Delta were established as a [[biosphere reserve]], shared by Romania and Ukraine.

Historically, in Romania, part of the Danube Delta was marked as a reserve in 1938.

In Ukraine, the Danube branch of the Black Sea State Reserve was established in 1973. In 1981, it was reorganized into the Natural Reserve "Danube Fluxes", and in 1998, it was extended into the Danube biosphere reserve.

== Environmental issues ==
{{citations needed|section|date=August 2018}}

Large-scale works began in the Danube Delta as early as the second half of the 19th century.<ref>Iordachi, Constantin, Van Assche, Kristof (2014) The Bio-Politics of the Danube Delta. [https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739195154 Lexington Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410184124/https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739195154 |date=2015-04-10 }}. {{ISBN|978-0-7391-9514-7 }}</ref> First corrections of the Sulina arm began in 1862, and they continued throughout the 20th century. As a result, the length of the Sulina arm was reduced from 92 to 64&nbsp;km, and its flow more than doubled, thus making it suitable for large-vessel navigation. Correcting the six large [[meanders]] on its course thereby reduced the length of the Sfântu Gheorghe branch from 108 to 70km, and its flow also increased somewhat. Both these increases were made to the detriment of the Chilia arm, which at present remains the most unspoiled arm of the main three. These corrections, as well as the digging of various secondary channels throughout the body of the delta, have had a serious impact on the ecosystem. Natural environments have been altered, the breeding pattern of fish has been disrupted, and the flows in the main arms have increased, with serious consequences regarding the discharge of [[alluvia]] and the erosion of banks.

Reed was intensively harvested during the [[Communist]] era. The regime had plans to transform the delta into a large agro-industrial zone. Although the first modern agricultural exploitation dates from 1939 (Ostrovul Tãtaru), only after 1960 were large areas drained and converted, to the detriment of the wetlands. In 1991, agricultural land in the delta surpassed 100,000 hectares, and more than a third of its surface has been affected by crop cultivation, [[forest plantation]], or [[pisciculture]] (fish farming). As a result of these changes, along with the increasing pollution and [[eutrophication]] of the waters of the Danube, and decades of exploitation and poor fishing regulations, the fish population has been visibly reduced.

In 2004, Ukraine inaugurated work on the [[Bistroe Channel]] that would provide an additional navigable link from the Black Sea to the populous Ukrainian section of the Danube Delta. However, because of the negative impact which this new channel might have on the fragile ecosystem of the delta, the [[European Union]] advised Ukraine to shut down the works. Romanian officials threatened to sue Ukraine at the [[International Court of Justice]]. Under the presidency of [[Kuchma]], Ukraine had responded that Romania was only afraid of the competition that the new channel would bring, and continued working on the channel. Under the presidency of [[Yuschenko]], who visited Romania in 2005, both sides agree that professionals should decide the fate of the channel. In the long run, Ukraine plans to build a navigation channel, if not through Bistroe Channel, then through another channel.

==Gallery==
{{gallery|mode=packed
|Sulina 4.jpg|[[Sulina]] – 1870 lighthouse
|DeltaRBDD.jpg|The natural reservations of the Danube delta (red: in Ukraine; yellow/red: in Romania)
|DeltaPierderi.jpg|Territorial losses of Romania in the Danube delta since 1948
|Areas polderised under Ceausescu.png|Dyked and dried areas in the [[Socialist Republic of Romania|communist time]]
|Danube Delta Reeds.JPG|[[Reed_(plant)|Reeds]] growing in the Danube Delta
}}

==See also==
{{Geography of Romania}}
* [[Birds of the Danube Delta]]
* [[Danube Delta horse]]
* [[Danube–Black Sea Canal]]
* [[History of Dobruja]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in Romania]]
* [[Tourism in Romania]]
* [[Seven Natural Wonders of Romania]]

<small>'''A series of articles on control of the Danube, in chronological order'''</small>
* [[Internationalization of the Danube River]], for events from earliest times to the Treaty of Paris in 1856
* [[Commissions of the Danube River]], for the international body governing the waterway from 1856 to 1940
* [[Nazi rule over the Danube River]], for events during World War II
* [[Danube River Conference of 1948]]
* [[International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River]], for the organization established in 1998 and charged with environmental and ecological activities

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Danube Delta}}
* [http://www.danube-delta.org Danube Delta] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920101547/http://danube-delta.org/ |date=20 September 2017 }} - Danube Delta map, travel, photos, videos and reviews in Danube Delta Romania
* [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588 UNESCO Danube Delta World Heritage Site]
<!--

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061209042801/http://www2.unesco.org/mab/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=ROM-UKR+01&mode=all Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve]
* [http://www.thedanubedelta.com Join the Danube Delta Community to share your travel experience, photos, videos and learn more]
* {{en icon}} [http://www.aboutromania.com/danube00.html Danube Delta: Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.norc.ro/street-view/ Danube Delta "Street view"] - navigate along the channels in Google Street View panoramic fashion
* [http://ukrayina.ru/delta-dunayu/ Turism in the Danube Delta (In Ukrainian)] -->

{{Seven Natural Wonders of Romania}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Romania}}
{{Protected areas of Romania}}
{{Protected areas of Ukraine}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Danube Delta| ]]
[[Category:River deltas of Europe]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Danube basin|Delta]]
[[Category:Geography of Europe]]
[[Category:Freshwater ecoregions]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Europe]]
[[Category:Landforms of Romania]]
[[Category:Landforms of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Dobruja]]
[[Category:Budjak]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Pontic–Caspian steppe]]
[[Category:Flora of Romania]]
[[Category:Fauna of Romania]]
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of Romania]]
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Romania]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Romania]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Romania]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Romania]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Romania]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]