EuroNatur and its partner organisations run the campaigns “SaveParadiseForests” and “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” to save the river and forest gems of the Balkans from destruction. The Jiu, a wild river in the Carpathians of Romania, is among the rivers threatened by hydropower plants. EuroNatur is now joining the struggle to prevent it from being dammed.
Picturesque: the Jiu Gorge in spring
© Calin Dejeu
Time is short - the hydropower plant construction advances.
© Calin DejeuThick spruce and beech forests, ash trees and wild fruit; golden eagles, black storks, salamanders and rare snakes: the Jiu-Gorge in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Europe. The Jiu River follows its natural course, giving the area its unique charm. But like so many other rivers in South-eastern Europe, the Jiu River is under threat to lose its wildness. There are plans for multiple dams and for diverting the river into pipes and channels.
The fact that the hydropower plant would be situated right in the centre of a national park doesn’t bother the Romanian government. If Hidroelectrica (the state-controlled Romanian hydropower operator) hadn’t filed for bankruptcy some years ago, construction works would probably be in a much more advanced stage. So the nature conservationists of Romanian NGO “Efectul Fluture” won some time for the fight against the construction of the power plant. From now on they can count on EuroNatur’s support.