Nature provided goods, the so called ecosystem services are essential for the healthy operation of the economy and society. These beneficial services are vital for local communities too, nevertheless we are losing them very quickly. Because of their loss we can lose 14,6 million workplaces or the equivalent of 7% of the European Union's GDP. This is why it is important to assess and to protect them.
The natural heritage of the Niraj-Tarnava Mica region, like the lesser spotted eagle, the corn crake, the European otter, the different Orchidaceae species, the pastures and meadows rich in fauna and flora are just some examples of the area’s natural capital. outstanding European value, which form the basis of our common cultural heritage and which locals can be proud of. Certainly worth protecting.
To do this we created this project. We are going to map and assess 91000 ha of protected Natura 2000 areas in the Niraj-Tarnava Mica region.
In frame of this project, we assess and map 91 thousand hectares of Natura 2000 areas along the rivers Niraj and Tarnava Mica in Romania. The goal of the project is to quantify the most important ecosystem services with the involvement of the local people so that their views can be accurately taken into consideration in the decision-making process. We also involve locals to qualify ecosystem services and to understand their contribution to the main economic sectors, like agriculture, forestry, tourism, fishing and hunting. To understand the local context and the region’s most important features we elaborate an extensive policy study as well as metrics to selected services based on the knowledge of the locals and we draw up long-term future scenarios. Based on all of the results, we provide recommendations for the local and regional land use policies, which can help to make adequate decisions.
