Scandalous deforestation in Romania revealed

Commercial felling in Romania's national parks is continuing unabated. The latest episode of "Out of Control" is dedicated to the Cheile Nerei-Beusnita National Park in the Romanian Carpathians which, in many places, more closely resembles a commercial forest than a protected area. The clearance work is being commissioned by the state forestry company Romsilva, which manages 12 out of the 13 national parks in Romania and as such is actually responsible for their protection.

In the video, the former national park director of Cheile Nerei-Beusnita admits to there being heavy pressure from the state forest administration to increase logging in the so-called buffer zones of the national parks. When confronted with the allegations, loggers on-site indicated they were poorly advised by national park management, saying they have no way of knowing what is protected and that it is not their responsibility to identify it. Inquiries from our Romanian partner organisation Agent Green concerning the amount of timber felled have gone unanswered.

"The ongoing nature conservation drama in Romania is one of the most pressing environmental crises in Europe, yet it is still largely unrecognised. The EU Commission must take immediate action to stop the destruction. After the terrible forest fires in many parts of Europe this summer, the proper protection of our last intact natural forests has become even more important," says Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive Director of EuroNatur.

Click here for the third episode of "Out of Control": https://vimeo.com/288637048

Episodes 1 & 2 can be viewed here: https://www.saveparadiseforests.eu/en/video-2/

Find out more about the Save Paradise Forests campaign at: https://www.saveparadiseforests.eu/en/home-2/