Romania still has something Europe has almost entirely lost: vast, intact, functioning ecosystems capable of sustaining life — from primary forests to free-flowing rivers, wetlands and connected natural landscapes.
They are Romania’s living backbone.
If they disappear, we lose more than nature. We lose clean water, breathable air, fertile soil, climate stability and security for future generations.
Panic logging
And they are disappearing. Since we presented the Ministry of Environment with the map of intact forest ecosystems, the foundation of Romania’s Living Backbone, panic logging has begun — rapid, intensive logging out of fear that some forests will be strictly protected. Those cutting them believe they will escape strict protection.
Today, less than 1% of Romania’s territory is strictly protected.
✗The last primary forests are being logged
✗Biodiversity is collapsing
✗Ecosystems are being fragmented
✗The climate crisis is accelerating
Time is no longer an option. It is a limit.
<1%
strict protection
of Romania’s territory today
10%
the EU target by 2030
a European obligation, a scientific necessity
2020
the year the campaign launched
the process began but was slowed down
The target: 10% strict protection
The European Union has clearly established: at least 10% of every country’s area must be strictly protected by 2030. This is not a political option — it is a European obligation, a scientific necessity and a condition for survival.
The European Commission’s response regarding the obstacles Romania’s Ministry of Environment is placing in the way of “Romania’s Living Backbone”
Agent Green welcomed this strategy on the very day it launched, in May 2020. The next day, during lockdown, we held an official online meeting with the then prime minister and the environment minister. The Romanian state publicly committed to this direction.
The process began promisingly in 2020 with the first working groups. Then it was slowed down. Fragmented. Diluted.
Current risks
✗Reducing proposed areas
✗Weakening the definition of “strict protection”
✗Turning an ecological obligation into an administrative compromise
What “Romania’s Living Backbone” means
We are not talking about arbitrarily selected areas. We are talking about a coherent national network, grounded in science, forming a continuous, functioning structure — rather than isolated, vulnerable islands.
Components of the network
Forests
Primary, near-primary and old-growth forests (over 125 years)
Protected areas
National parks and scientific reserves
Waters
Natural rivers, floodplains, the Danube Delta and wetlands
Underground & karst
Unique karst and underground ecosystems
Coast & sea
Protected coastal and marine areas
Connectivity
Ecological corridors and rare or threatened habitats
Scientific principles of protection
We officially submitted the essential criteria for defining the 10% to the Ministry of Environment:
1Protect what is already valuable — all natural areas of major importance must be included in full as a priority
2Protect real wilderness — areas with minimal human impact and high biodiversity, even if not yet officially protected
3Connectivity, rather than fragmentation — ecosystems must be connected; nature does not work in pieces
4Prioritise intact areas — but also include degraded areas with potential for natural recovery
5The state takes responsibility — public policy cannot be outsourced to private entities through tenders
6Nature takes priority — infrastructure adapts to nature, rather than the reverse
What is wrong with the current process
We officially reported serious problems:
✗Illegal delegation of protection criteria to private companies
✗A lack of genuine public consultation
✗Introducing criteria that favour infrastructure at nature’s expense
✗Ignoring European legislation on biodiversity
✗A major risk of diluting the concept of strict protection
These deviations compromise the entire process.
Together with the “România Te Iubesc” team, we made a report exposing the Ministry of Environment’s lack of commitment:
România Te Iubesc — Romania’s Living Backbone
Why it matters
Strict protection does not mean “blocking development”. It means precisely the opposite:
✓A climate shield
✓Keeping Romania habitable
✓Safe drinking water
✓Protection against floods and drought
✓Natural carbon storage
✓Functioning biodiversity
✓Public health
✓Local economies through ecotourism
Without this 10%, the rest of the economy becomes unstable.
What we propose
110% of Romania under real strict protection, without exploitation
2Zero human intervention in strictly protected areas — no resource exploitation, no hunting. Only scientific research and ecotourism paths for those who leave no trace and visit nature with open hearts and minds
3A process that is transparent and participatory
4Integrating all existing data
5Strong legal protection, rather than symbolic protection
6Rapid implementation, by 2030
The campaign
Agent Green initiated this effort and has been involved at every stage from 2020 to the present.
Today, we have joined forces with civil society to defend the integrity of this objective.
Together, we launched a national petition demanding: “Leave nature in peace. 10% of Romania under strict protection.”
Images from the campaign
National petition
Together with civil society, we launched a petition demanding:
“Leave nature in peace. 10% of Romania under strict protection.”
