Human Pressure on the Environment in the “Mun¸tii Maramure¸sului” Natural Park - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 255

Chapter 21
Human Pressure on the Environment
in the “Muntii Maramuresului” Natural Park

Dan B alteanu, Mihaela Felciuc, Monica Dumitrascu, and Ines Grigorescu

Abstract In order to protect the natural environment in the Romanian Carpathians,
22 major protected areas totalling approximately 1 million hectares, as well as some
600 reserves and natural monuments totalling 50,000 ha, were declared. The chap-
ter is aiming to point out the main human-related pressures characteristic for the
mountain natural landscapes, by selecting as case study “Muntii Maramuresului”
Natural Park (MMNP). This protected area can be considered as a landmark in the
Romanian Carpathians protected areas assessment, taking into account both its envi-
ronmental stressors and its landscape qualities for acceding to UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve status. Although MMNP was declared in 2004, later than other similar pro-
tected areas in Romanian Carpathians (Apuseni Natural Park and Bucegi Natural
Park in 1990 etc.), its landscape and biodiversity features are no less significant
and valuable. The authors are aiming to identify and assess the main present-day
human impact categories encountered in MMNP: deforestation and over-grazing,
mining activities, poaching, waste deposits, etc. in order to prevent their expansion
and diminish their negative impact upon the environment.

Keywords Romanian Carpathians · Human pressure · Environment · “Muntii

Maramuresului” Natural Park

21.1 Introduction

The Carpathian Mountains are the largest, the longest and the most twisted and frag-
mented chain in Europe with the greatest extent in Romania (43%). The Romanian
Carpathians expands from the country's northern border (the Tisa valley) to the
Danube Defile (Svinita) in the south-west covering 66,872 km 2 (29.3%) of its

surface area (UNEP, 2007 ).