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LAND TAKE IN NATURA 2000 SITES ON THE MIDDLE COURSE OF SOME? RIVER, ROMANIA

Adrian Niță, Attila Peteley, Vasile Mara, Alpar Horvath, Lóránt Bálint-Bálint

Abstract

The aim of the article was to assess the importance of Natura 2000 sites in halting land take, given that the European Commission has set itself the target of reducing land take in the EU to zero by 2050. In the surveyed area, land take is primarily a consequence of the economic activities carried out and of their pace and intensity; the density of housing also puts pressure on the phenomenon through the permanent expansion of the built-up area of the settlements (the brown belt), especially in the economically effervescent villages. The methodology consisted of field and laboratory activities resulting in an assessment of the land use of Natura 2000 sites, of the juridical status of the land, and of the changes in land use in the ten years since their implementation. There were identified the economic activities responsible for the occupation of the territory, the degree to which it occurs and the preferred locations of the phenomenon, thus creating the premise for their reorganization and the removal of their effects. The categories of land most affected by land take and their positioning in relation to topography, human settlements and main routes were also identified. The results of our study can be compared with other regions with the same geographical characteristics, in order to introduce a more stringent set of species and habitat conservation measures, aimed at reducing land take to zero.

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