The internal zoning of the Măcin Mountains National Park respects the Order of the Environment Ministry no. 552/2003 regarding the approval of internal zoning of national and natural parks, from the standpoint of the need to preserve biodiversity. It is also in accordance with Ordinance no. 57/20.06.2007 regarding the regimen of protected natural areas, the conservation of natural habitats, and of wild fauna and flora.
The functional zone of the Măcin Mountains National Park is based on the value of natural habitats. The categories of internal zones according to which the greater management decisions and allowed activities are established are:
Strict Protection Zone (SPZ)
Total surface 448.6 hectares (ha).
This will include the “Moroianu” reservation, with a surface of 293.7 ha, and the “Valea Fagilor – Wild Strawberries” reservation, with a surface of 154.9 ha. All human activity is restricted in this area, with the exception of research activities.
Full Protection Zone (FPZ)
Total area 3,418.32 ha.
This will include the most valuable goods of the natural heritage inside the park.
The following activities are forbidden:
a) any exploitation or use of natural resources, as well as any use of land exploitation, which are incompatible with the protection and conservation purpose;
b) construction and investment activities, with the exception of those linked to the management of the protected natural areas and/or scientific research activities or those destined to ensure national security or disaster prevention.
As an exception, the following activities are allowed:
a) scientific and educational activities;
b) eco-tourism activities which do not require any construction or investments;
c) the rational use of pastures for haymaking and/or grazing only for domestic animals, property of the community members which own pastures or the right to use them in any way according to the existing national legislation, on the areas, in the time frame and with the species which are approved by the park administration, so that no natural habitats, flora or fauna species are affected;
d) the localization and extinguishing of fires;
e) interventions for the maintenance of habitats for the protection of certain species, groups of species or biotic communities, based on the approval of the central public authority, of the provisional action plan, elaborated in this purpose by the scientific council and in use until the entry into force of the management plan;
f) interventions for the ecological reconstruction of natural ecosystems and for the rehabilitation of unsuitable or degraded ecosystems, at the proposal of the managements and with the approval of the scientific council, based on the consent of the central public authority for environmental protection;
g) actions for the removal of disaster effects, at the proposal of the management of the protected natural area, with the consent of the scientific council, based on the approval of the central public authority for environmental protection. If forest areas are affected, the actions for disaster effects removal are done on the proposal of the protected natural area’s management, with the consent of the scientific council, based on the approval of the central public authority for forestry;
h) actions for the prevention of mass breeding of forest pests, which does not require tree extraction, and their surveillance;
i) actions for the control of mass breeding of forest pests, which requires the removal of wood from the forest, in case there are breeding hotbeds, with the approval of the scientific council and based on the consent of the central public authority for forestry.
Sustainable Conservation Zones (SCZ)
Total surface 7,272.8 ha.
This is a buffer zone of the Măcin Mountains National Park where the following activities can take place:
a) scientific and educational activities;
b) eco-tourism activities which do not require any construction or investments;
c) the rational use of pastures for haymaking and/or grazing only for domestic animals, in the areas, in the time frame and with the species which are approved by the park administration, so that no natural habitats, flora or fauna species are affected;
d) the localization and extinguishing of fires;
e) interventions for the maintenance of habitats for the protection of certain species, groups of species or biotic communities, based on the approval of the central public authority, of the provisional action plan, elaborated in this purpose by the scientific council and in use until the entry into force of the management plan;
f) interventions for the ecological reconstruction of natural ecosystems and for the rehabilitation of unsuitable or degraded ecosystems, at the proposal of the managements and with the approval of the scientific council, based on the consent of the central public authority for environmental protection;
g) actions for the removal of disaster effects, at the proposal of the management of the protected natural area, with the consent of the scientific council, based on the approval of the central public authority for environmental protection. If forest areas are affected, the actions for disaster effects removal are done on the proposal of the protected natural area’s management, with the consent of the scientific council, based on the approval of the central public authority for forestry;
h) actions for the control of mass breeding of forest pests, which require the removal of wood from the forest in amounts exceeding the provisions of management plans, are done with the approval of the protected natural area’s management, based on the consent of the central public authority for forestry.
i) traditional activities using renewable resources, in the limit of the production and support capacity of the ecosystems, using low impact technology, such as berry, mushroom or medicinal plants gathering, with compliance to the existing norms.These can be performed only by natural or legal persons which own/manage land in the park, or by the local community, with the approval of the management of the protected natural area;
j) care and management of the arboretums, special works for conservation, with emphasis on natural rejuvenation and without the extraction of dead wood, with the exception of cases of forest pests attacks that could spread on huge areas, primarily on whole parcels neighboring areas with strict or full protection; in the rest of the buffer area forestry treatments are allowed if they promote the natural rejuvenation of the arboretums: the treatment of transformation cuts for gardening, gardened and semi-gardened cuts treatment, classical progressive cuts treatments or solid edge cuts with regeneration periods of minimum 10 years. Forestry treatments will be applied with the restrictions required by the management plans of the park and by the management guides of forests in protected areas.
Human Activities Sustainable Development Zones (SDZ)
Total surface 12.10 ha.
Investment/development activities are allowed in this area, primarily those of tourist interest, but with the observance of the principle of sustainable use of natural resources and prevention of any negative effects on biodiversity;
In the sustainable development areas of national parks the following activities can take place, in compliance with the provisions of management plans:
a) traditional activities of land cultivation and animal growing;
b) sport fishing, industrial fishing and fisheries;
c) the exploitation of nonrenewable mineral resources, if this is specified in the management plan of the park and if it is a traditional activity;
d) works for the care and management of arboretums, and conservation works;
e) the application of forestry treatments which allow the natural rejuvenation of the arboretums: the treatment of transformation cuts for gardening, gardened and semi-gardened cuts treatment, classical progressive cuts treatments or solid edge cuts, the treatment of grove cuts in acacia and in the water meadows of poplar and willow. In the sustainable development zones of the national parks the treatment of grated cuts in spruce arboretums can be applied, on surfaces no bigger than 1 hectare, as well as the treatment of grated cuts in small perches of Euro American aspen arboretums;
f) activities specific to the ecologic means of production in land cultivation and animal growing, in accordance with the specific legislation of the ecologic agriculture system;
g) other traditional activities performed by the local communities.