Petition to save forests

For science: Lady Rovana Plumb, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

 

Mr. Constantin Nit , Minister for Energy, Ministry of Economy

 

As a citizen of Romania am ame  pleased to have the opportunity to address you with a request for urgent action to stop the destruction of mountain rivers in Romania.

 

Romania's energy strategy promotes investments in " green energy " by building small hydro on mountain rivers. I know that the financing of these investments is encouraged by the state through the allocation of allowances to companies that produce green energy from renewable resources.

 

Many of these investments are funded from grants, which encourages more than is needed investments in SHP. The final cost of green certificates are supported by Romanian citizens by paying the electricity bill .

 

infrastructure construction have on river ecosystems .

 

Although the environmental permit for Romania's energy strategy clearly prohibits placing SHP in certain protected areas, measures that opinion are ignored by all relevant authorities. Mountain rivers are destroyed one by one, with the participation of the Romanian state.

 

Electrical energy needs from renewable sources reached almost 100 % of the target proposed for 2020. However, there are still hundreds of small hydropower plants waiting to be constructed or authorized without taking into account environmental criteria, economic and social scientifically acceptable.

 

Therefore not account for the fact that most bad sectors on which to build small hydro are included in protected areas. You don't realize that the mountain rivers host species and habitats important for maintaining ecosystem balance evil and that they should be kept as required by law.

 

Most of these mountain rivers are natural waterways with high ecological status for that Romania has undertaken to maintain water quality and riverbed morphology.

 

In this context WWF join request, along with national and international organizations for environmental protection and conservation of biodiversity and anglers associations  for the immediate suspension of the authorization process and construction of hydropower plants to implement a pre – planning process to contribute effectively to the protection of mountain rivers.

 

So, I ask you to issue a regulatory action to designate and delineate those bodies of rivers that will be excluded from the construction of hydropower. Such a law must govern the classification and delineation including other water bodies unfavorable or less favorable to the construction of small hydropower plants, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.