Agent Green exposes illegal construction at Călugăra Monastery in Cheile Nerei National Park

Bucharest, 30 March 2023 – Agent Green warns that illegal works affecting the forest, river and slopes are being carried out at Călugăra Orthodox Monastery in the Ciclova Valley, in an area with multiple protections in Caraș-Severin County. The abuse is taking place in the Valea Ciclovei – Ilidia Nature Reserve within Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park, which overlaps with Natura 2000 protected areas of European interest (the Cheile Nerei-Beușnița Site of Community Importance and Special Protection Area for birds).

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“The interventions have significantly affected the stream and the centuries-old forests on state-owned public forest land classified as T1, meaning strict protection. In practice, they have been buried under tens of tonnes of rubble,” said Dan-Cătălin Turiga, forestry engineer and Agent Green investigator.

The investigators analysed the existing documents and discovered that representatives of Călugăra Monastery had extended their property by joining two enclaves that had been isolated and separated by state-owned forests. The extension and the works were carried out abusively. The Agent Green team went in turn to the relevant authorities to question the legality of the demolition and construction works.

The RNP Romsilva Forestry Directorate for Caraș Severin County (DS CS), which manages the state’s forests, is unaware of this abuse. “That means they entered the forest fund. All the steps for temporarily or permanently removing the land from the forest fund should have been taken. I am not aware that this procedure was followed,” said Ion Tabugan, director of DS CS. But Olariu Ioan, head of the Oravița Forest District, says the church’s two enclaves were joined with a stroke of the pen in 2018: “It was decided to join the two enclaves. The earlier measurements were not accurate.”

Oravița Town Hall, which is responsible for issuing demolition and construction permits, also knows little about the matter. Sașa Ocanovici, adviser to the mayor and spokesperson: “Are we filming churches now? You haven’t chosen the right time. I say you should come after the fast.”

Coman Constantin, the town hall’s architect, was the only one to get straight to the point: “There is no construction or demolition permit. They even tried a PUZ.”

Blujdea Remus, chief commissioner of the Caraș Severin Environmental Guard: “No institution has notified us until now. Maybe it’s too recent. We’ll take the local authorities and go there together to establish the facts. We will check the environmental damage ourselves.”

Gheorghe Cipu, head of security at Cheile Nerei – Beușnița National Park, openly explained: “They did not receive the park’s endorsement for the new construction. I was there. I did not sanction them. I told them to collect the rubbish because it looks bad.”

The park’s engineer, Mr Galcan Mile-Slavisa, watched footage of the abuse and stated that “if it is real, then whoever did this will face the consequences”. Then he changed his mind and said: “The director has found out that you’re here. Information travels very fast here, you know. I haven’t seen any photographs or videos. Wouldn’t you rather schedule a meeting? You caught us like this… not unprepared, but all of a sudden. You’re playing with my mind.”

“The Călugăra case is emblematic of the authorities’ complicity in abuses against nature. DNA must come down hard on them to get them working, because these are national parks, the natural treasure covering only 1% of the country’s area,” Păun concluded.

Press contacts:

Dan-Cătălin Turiga, forestry engineer, +40 728 273 782, dan-catalin.turiga@agentgreen.org

Cătălina Rădulescu, lawyer, +40 740 161 116, catalina@agentgreen.org