Description (EN): The project proposed within this application comprises of complex and clearly defined measures and actions which address the needs and constraints identified by the four project partners in the cross border area of Bihor and Hajdu Bihar Counties. The implemented activities will lead to a better state of conservation and protection of the natural protected areas and Natura 2000 sites ROSCI0262, ROSCI0098, ROSCI0008, HUHN20033, totaling
5063.5ha and other natural heritage territories and will have not only an immediate, but also a long time effect on these areas. The partners have not only the legal right and obligation to apply these measures but also the moral responsibility of acting and implementing these measures, the Lead partner COMUNA SÂNMARTIN (RO) is the local government administrating and owning part of the land and the project partners APS AQUA CRISIUS (RO), ECOTOP Oradea (RO) and ZOLD KOR (HU) are the administrators of most of the nature protection areas in Bihor county and across the border in Hajdu Bihar county. The partners have the proper management team with more than 20 years’ experience, scientific and applied knowledge and legal authority to cover the needed professional competencies, in fact no other legal entities could legally or would practically be able to implement the investment activities and the conservation actions included in this project. The proposed actions are a result of extensive studies, surveys, observation and programming which are concretized in the management plans of the nature protection areas, hundreds of pages of information gathered by experts, scientist, nature lovers from specialized institutions and organizations which were analyzed and structured so that to obtain the best description of the status and the correct and appropriate measures to protect and conserve the natural heritage of the nature protection area.
The main objective of the project is to improve the conservation status of the affected areas having an output of the surface of habitats supported in order to attain a better conservation status of
5063.5 ha and thus to realize the measures comprised in the management plans of the areas assumed by the partners when taking over the custody of the natural patrimony to rehabilitate facilities and create investments in a truly integrated manner. The project will make a significant change not only with the physical interventions in the river basins and banks, bridges, tunnels in the underground, monitoring centers, observation towers , access roads, parking lots, barriers, protection fences, green utilities, animal reproduction and feeding sites, removal of invasive species in mountain forest, hills and plains, but also in an intangible way by education, information of people of all that is good and bad and everything to do to improve the current status of conservation with the aid of conferences, publications, workshops, volunteer camps, information campaigns, competitions, games and visual materials. The target groups, those who eventually will benefit from the results and outputs of the project are nature protection agencies , institutions, settlements and residents living in the areas and the sub-region, scientific bodies and studiers, teachers and professors, locals particularly youngsters, professionals --conservationists, foresters,etc.
The project brings into act and puts in practice some new approach to conservation and protection like: building an underground tunnel for monitoring of bats nesting and living, building drinking places for bats, palacing of nest for birds, building reproduction spots for amphibians, creating movies and a game of the flora and fauna in these counties.
The project will have an expected change regarding the physical infrastructure and the intangible approach to nature leading to better conserve and protect the habitats, especially plants, trees, birds and bats within in this project. But as everybody knows, improving a link in the trophic chain improves the entire chain and also may affect other by transitivity and even directly by the existing connections between all living creatures. Not only will the project address these territories affected by the investments but these partners have several Natural 2000 and Nature protected areas under custody, and being the administrator of more areas, the measures and actions can and will be multiplied to more hectares of natural heritage.
The partners Sânmartin commune, APS Aqua Crisius, Ecotop and Zold Kor have implemented numerous projects before, as standalone beneficiaries and in partnerships with each other and with other specialized legal entities cross border or national. This partnership is the best because firstly we have a local government one of the most important in the county because of the natural resources of geothermal water with administrative and political knowledge and reliability, secondly because the other partners are nature protection and education NGOs whose sole aim for existing is to implement such activities as an elite team of experienced experts existing, collaborating and working together for a long time to reach a better conservation status of the Bihor and Hajdu-Bihar counties. The four partners have created the partnership to address indeed a common cross border challenge. The territory which is addressed in the project in Romania is similar with the one in Hungary regarding the problems and the respective solutions, it has common fauna and flora specific and moreover, all waters, surface and ground, flow towards Hungary, and as water is the base for all living, there is an important aspect to protect and conserve as within a cross border approach. The tight cooperation of the Hungarian organizations and the Romanian partners enables the sharp visualization of the cross-border effects. The workout of similar project elements and activities will be supported by a common, cross-border planning, the experiences and results of the project will be useful on both sides of the border, further strengthening the cross-border effect. There are three partners in Romania and one in Hungary which will commonly tackle the current state to counteract and foreseen to prevent problematic issues, implementing similar activities, on common species, having relevant similar experience.
The cross border approach is necessary and opportune because of the closeness of the partners in terms of location but also because of the ecosystem similarities (land, water, plants, animals) and the associated threats, problems, risks and corrective measures. Overall the project aims at conserving and protecting this cross border area rich in natural heritage, the partners having assumed and acting like responsible authorities for the joint protection and efficient use of the common values and resources of the Bihor and Hajdu-Bihar territory.
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Expected Outputs (EN): Sânmartin commune has the two most renowned balnearic resorts in the country : Baile 1 Mai (near the Petea site ) and Baile Felix (close to Betifa site), Budureasa commune has another great touristic destination Stana de Vale, the Hungarian side has the Hortobagy touristic area. The measures included in the project for conservation purposes aim at a better organization of the traffic, visits and trasitors as well they do not ban turism, but they make the necessary amenities and actions to harmonize the conservation with the touristic approach. The areas involved in the project are well known touristic destinations or are in their very closeness, increasing touristic activity will only be made as an indirect effect of the activities which will mostly engage in means to correlate between giving the tourist the necessary investments and facilities so that they do not hinder the conservation efforts. For example the road, the parking and toilets in Betfia will be a very useful investment for both conservation and turism as the many competitions which are organized in the area (Thermal trail race, Cupa “Crater” XCO Betfia for Cyclist) will have a proper car parking place for tourists and the vehicles will not park on the grass, green space or any other natural space having a positive effect in the conservation aspect. The railway in Somleu hill, the fencing of the Petea water lilly habitat will only protect nature but without hindering the touristic attraction visitation, only its, limitation for conservation purposes is expected. Overall all activities, even the events, volunteer camps, competitions, educative awareness raising campaigns will in the end have a promotional result with touristic impact, even if the actions are not directed towards turism, they are going to increase the number of turists because of the beauty of the areas and uniwueness of the habitats we aim to conserve in this project.
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