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The Carpathians in Romania represent one of the largest mountain massifs in Europe, and are home to an estimated 3.2 million people. Unlike its neighbours, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, Romanian mountain areas were never subject to collectivization and have therefore preserved very valuable economic and cultural traditions.
In 2002, Romania had an estimated 950,000 mountain farms of which 600,000 cover less than 3 hectares. But the transition to a market economy has been very hard on mountain populations, and these small farms are under increasing threat. There has been a drastic decrease in the number of sheep and cattle farmed and in the quantity of natural fertilisers used, with serious ecological consequences. This has also led to forest shrinkage as farmers look to wood resources for survival. People are seeking work elsewhere and there is a marked exodus from mountain regions.
In recent years, efforts have been made to establish specialized insititutions to tackle the neglect suffered by mountain areas. A Training and Innovation Centre for Development in the Carpathians (CEFIDEC) has recently been set up at Vatra Dornei, with an on-going training programme for agricultural specialists and young farmers. There is now also a Research and Development Institute for Mountain Issues which aims to improve the standard of living in mountain areas, to develop and modernise ecological farms, improve the use of mountain resources, improve mountain infrastructures and encourage tourism, preserve local economic traditions, stimulate small industries, crafts and other mountain trades, develop agritourism in the mountains and support young families.
Romania’s Mountain Law
Romania’s Mountain Law is now in the final stages of being passed, having successfully been approved by the Romanian Government and Parliament. This means that Romania is now moving ahead in its drive to develop and implement a broad-ranging mountain policy and sustainable mountain development programme that will address the urgent issues of land degradation, depopulation and the decline in mountain agriculture. The Romanian Mountain Forum (RMF), a Mountain Partnership member and the lead institution in propelling this objective forward, hopes that the Romanian experience and the methodologies adopted can be shared with other countries keen to introduce a mountain policy.
