Ecological Restoration of Pochina Lake, Romania | Natural Water Retention Measures

General

National Id

Romania_ 07

Site name

Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park

Summary

The project's objective was to improve the conservation status of aquatic bird species in Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park, Galati County, Romania, through a series of strategic interventions involving scientific inventory, monitoring activities, sites restoration, raising awareness activities, implementation of the park management plan and designating four Special Protected Area - Romanian Natura 2000 sites. Partners were the University of Bucharest, Romanian ornithological society and Romsilva-Galati Forestry.

Light or indepth?

Light

NUTS Code

Sud-Est

RBD code

RO1000

Transboundary

Data provider

Barbu Constantin, RECImola Koszta, REC

Source(s)

Some aspects concerning wetland restoration programs in the Prut River Basin

Lower Prut Floodplain - Ecological restoration of the Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park

Ecological Reconstruction works - Pochina Lake

NWRM(s) implemented in the case study

Floodplain restoration and management

Lake restoration

Longitude

28.096111

Latitude

45.991667

Site information

Climate zone

cool temperate dry

Mean rainfall

500

Mean rainfall unit

mm/year

Average temperature

Type

Case Study Info

Vegetation class

The aquatic vegetation; palustrian vegetation;

Monitoring maintenance

Monitoring impacts effects

Monitoring parameters

Monitoring of birds populations status: 1. Establishing a birds species monitoring program; 2. Establishing the facilities for the birds watching monitoring; Assessing the bio-accumulation of organic chlorine pesticides in birds.

Design & implementations

Application scale

River

Installation date

2010-10

Area (ha)

74,8000030517578

Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha)

41,7999992370605

Favourable preconditions

Wetlands belong to the category of ecologically fragile areas, their dynamic being influenced mainly by the qualitative and quantitative characteristic of the water in the hydrographical basin in which they extend. For this reason, the conservation measures promoted in these spaces must be doubled by a strict control of the anthropic activities / arrangements using water for different purposes or as a medium of discharging some wastes.

Public consultation

Design contractual arrangement

Arrangement type	Responsibility	Role	Comments	Name

Design consultation activity

Activity stage	Key issues	Name	Comments
Implementation phase	These include information dissemination, consultation of every village in the area, and active participation and education with local educational material to be produced. The project takes into account that there is a relatively high illiteracy in the area and will address stakeholders in wide variety of ways, including picture books, nature trails, six annual environment days with expeditions into the area, children's exhibitions, and bird watching towers	Awareness raising activities

Design land use change

Land use change type

Design authority

Authority type	Role	Name	Comments
Regional / sub-national water authority	Implementation	Regional Environmental Protection Agency Galati
Other	Financing	County Council Galati	County Council
Other		University of Bucharest, Research Center for Environment and Impact Studies	Research and development ceter for the environment
NGO	Monitoring	Romanian Ornithological Society
Forest owners		Forestry Department Galati
NGO		Park Administration Lower Prut Floodplain
Other	Other	The administrative circumscription of Suceveni Commune, Rogojeni Village

Lessons, risks, implications...

Key lessons

The works at works of Pochina Lake assures, by gravitational transfer a sufficient water volum to contribute to the conservation of this special area, designated Special Protected Area (SPA).

Success factor(s)

Success factor type	Success factor role	Comments
Attitude of decision makers	main factor

Financing

Financing type	Comments
National funds	The Ministry of Environment and the Sustainable Development
Local funds	Galati County Council
EU-funds: LIFE+	The European Commission - LIFE Nature

Barrier

Barrier type	Barrier role	Comments

Driver

Driver type	Driver role	Comments
Organisation committed to it	main driver

Financing share

Financing share type	Share	Comments
European funds	50	412.355 Euro	View
National funds	50	412.355 Euro	View

Policy, general governance and design targets

Policy description

The ecological reconstruction works carried out within the project ensure, by gravitational transfer, a water volume, enough to contribute to the conservation of this special conservation area, declared SPA.
Also, this water transfer from the Prut into Pochina Lake will allow for the cleaning of the bottom of the lake in the future, together with the excess of water being evacuated the extra alluvial deposits, too.
With a view to maintain the water level, dykes were built on the channels as well as footbridges for the free circulation.

Quantified objectives

The ecological reconstruction works proposed by the project and achieved during the year 2009, consisted in the cleaning and re-profiling of the two channels connecting Pochina Lake and Prut River, respectively the supply channel (L=362m) situated in the eastern extremity of the lake, and the evacuation channel (L= 235 m) situated in the western extremity. The dredging of the mud from Pochina Lake was carried out by the removal of the aquatic vegetation and the elimination of the mud on a part of the lake, i.e. the enlarging of the entrance area of the supply channel into the lake.

Part of wider plan

Policy target

Target purpose
Increase Water Storage
Improved Biodiversity
Groundwater Recharge

Policy pressure

Pressure directive	Relevant pressure

Policy area

Policy area type	Policy area focus	Name	Comments

Policy impact

Impact directive	Relevant impact

Policy wider plan

Wider plan type	Wider plan focus	Name	Comments
National	Environment & Biodiversity	Lower Danube Green Corridor programme

Policy requirement directive

Requirement directive	Specification

Socio-economic

Direct benefits information

Better conditions for the birds population; increasing the number for aquatic bird species (especially those listed in Annex I of Birds Directive, Bern Convention and in ORNIS lists); improve the trophic state and saprobity of the target aquatic systems; allowing the water oxygenation of the lakes through the input of the fresh water from the Prut River; including the monitoring birds protocols in the adaptive Management Plan of Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Park;

Ancillary benefits information

Supply the potential of fisheries resources; using the potential of providing services for tourism and recreation;

Costs total

824710

Ecosystem improved biodiversity

Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity

Restoration of aquatic birds sites in the natural protected area located in Lower Prut Floodplain Natural Patk - Pochina Lake