Gabriel Păun (Agent Green President and Honorary Adviser to Romania’s Prime Minister): “Protection will happen in turn, park by park”
Big news: Romania’s national parks will be protected!
“An unprecedented announcement!”
– The year 2022 began with extraordinary news: Environment Minister Tanczos Barna announced that all Romania’s national parks would come under strict protection, in line with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) international standards. Should we celebrate?
– The Environment Minister’s announcement is unprecedented! It is something I discussed with my teacher, Marcian Bleahu, 15 years ago, and it seemed a distant dream. We should celebrate because this is a very important first step, but remain vigilant because full protection of Romania’s parks will happen in stages. There are steps to follow, but what matters is that we have started down this road. We are doing worst in the Măcin Mountains, with 34% strict protection, and best in the Jiu Valley National Park, with 81% protection. Protection will happen in turn, park by park, on the basis of studies. This is where I feel the authorities are dragging their feet, because you need no study to protect a park if you really want to. In Austria it was done very simply and immediately, through a management plan. Delaying implementation of this very good measure seems the greatest danger now. Dangerous gaps open up between words and deeds. So this is no time to relax; on the contrary, we must put pressure on political decision-makers until this measure becomes law. The first park to receive this form of protection will be Domogled, in the counties of Caraș-Severin, Mehedinți and Gorj. It is both the largest and the most devastated, with only 48% strict protection, mostly in alpine open areas where there is little to protect.
– In Slovakia, the situation was just as bad as in Romania, but Zuzana Čaputová, Slovakia’s current president, is a committed environmentalist and issued a presidential decree requiring national-park reform. That is good because it means the Carpathians are better protected: a wolf or bear does not distinguish borders; what matters is the protected nature in which they live. We are waiting for Minister Barna’s declaration to become law here too.
“As an honorary adviser, I can propose reforms; the question is whether there is political will to resolve anything”
– During former Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîțu’s term, you were appointed “Honorary Adviser to the Prime Minister”, a position you still hold despite the change of government. What does it mean? What is it like to have direct access to the corridors of power?
– Yes, that is right. I have the privilege of holding this position of Honorary Adviser, and I was delighted to think I could do more for Romania from this role. It is neither a political nor a paid position, which is very good because it allows me to remain independent in my opinions and speak plainly and directly. Having such access to the corridors of power matters because, when you have something to say or want to be heard, you no longer have to stand with a banner outside the Government — the door is open right to the highest level. So far I have never been directly asked anything, but I have had the opportunity to propose ideas and reforms myself, with meticulously prepared documents. I proposed expanding the forest estate (only 29% of Romania is forested today), strict protection of national parks, which is now happening, and discussed live-animal exports. A decision on that should have been issued, but meanwhile Cîțu’s government fell. As an honorary adviser I can propose reforms and changes, but the question is whether there is political will to resolve anything.
“Romania’s desertification is a serious and acute problem”
– You have come close to the political leadership. Do you feel attitudes towards environmental problems are changing?
– I think attitudes towards the environment and nature are changing, but out of necessity rather than awareness. Before, the environment seemed a whim; now it is an emergency, and the European Union has a strong agenda on this issue that Romania cannot ignore. On the other hand, our great tragedy is excessive politicisation down to the very lowest level, and the lack of experts in public institutions. Party-based appointments must be replaced with genuine, fair competitions for capable people! A year ago I was at the Ministry of Investments and European Funds and worked on the PNRR, more than half of whose money was actually for combating the effects of climate change. Even then I warned that what was done should address causes, not effects. They were still talking about concreting rivers, huge irrigation projects and anti-hail measures instead of analysing the causes. Romania’s desertification is a serious and acute problem: in Oltenia we have almost 100 thousand hectares of desert, and the whole of southern and western Romania faces this problem. Irrigation is no solution because water itself is becoming a problem. Massive afforestation is the only solution. Automated nurseries purchased with PNRR funds could have enabled rapid, extensive planting. Conventional afforestation was preferred, amounting to only 0.2% afforestation over a few years for the same money. They had a fixed idea of connecting around 100 thousand households to the gas network. Beyond the current crisis, which shows what dependence on gas means, gas is not green energy; extraction causes enormous pollution. With the same money, those families could have received heat pumps, solar panels, underfloor heating and batteries for solar energy converted into electricity. It was not wanted. Instead of moving to green energy, we are staying with hydrocarbons. We must look to the future, not the past. I do not say this out of theoretical speculation. My own house has a heat pump and 14 solar panels. Within a few years I recovered my investment, and instead of paying a monthly bill of 4000 lei, I now receive money for the electricity I supply to the grid.
“I find it very strange to have enormous PNRR funds and not want to invest them in technology”
– Why do you think these changes are not wanted?
– They want to cut forests because that brings cash for the party. Minister Barna said he did not want the national forest inventory to be carried out any longer — in other words, we would no longer know how much timber is illegally cut in Romania! And then, with gas… there are the interests of the energy boys. In any case, I find it very strange to have enormous PNRR funds and not want to invest them in technology… Not even future technology, but technology already available today, because heat pumps are already efficient and used in civilised countries.
“Live animals can no longer be exported to third countries that do not respect EU legislation”
– A report on animal welfare, based on two years of investigation, was discussed in Brussels a few days ago. Is there good news from there? What were the conclusions?
– There is good news here too: a step forward has been taken. The investigation’s conclusion is that animals cannot be treated just any way for profit’s sake. Live animals can no longer be exported to third countries that do not respect EU legislation, and from my point of view — having been to and seen all these countries, as far as Asia and the Persian Gulf — none respects EU legislation. Egypt, where I filmed animals from Romania suffering terribly, does not even have animal-protection legislation. They did not even respect religious requirements, whether kosher or halal, because religion does not permit an animal to be slaughtered in agony. So a cow or sheep lovingly raised by our farmers ends up enduring hell there. If they cannot behave civilly, we should stop sending them live animals: that is my conclusion after 10 years of going to these countries. Following the report, transport rules will also be revised — you do not transport live animals in temperatures above 30 degrees, and transport duration will be limited to a maximum of 4-8 hours. These are interim victories and a signal that things cannot continue as before.
– In conclusion, can we say the year is beginning optimistically for lovers of animals and nature?
– Yes, it is a good start to the year. I will also share a feeling I have had lately: I feel that Romania today has a society with much greater awareness and empathy towards nature and animals. Children and young people have an immense desire to treat nature better! I feel there is a profound change in awareness and sensitivity brought by the younger generation. That gives me a great deal of hope. When I look at young people, I believe our wonderful country could have a beautiful future.
Originally published in “Formula AS” — ISSUE 1463
by CATALIN MANOLE
