Our reliance on natural habitats and the different ways of harnessing nature to satiate our greedy motives and to make more and more money has pushed perhaps all natural reserves on the verge of extinction. It is quite unfortunate that we call it need of the hour!
In this series, shocking news about the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve- the largest European wetland and also forming Europe’s largest water purification system, that these days it has become a focus of media not because of its innumerable migratory birds that come here during spring season but because of interest showed by heterogeneous people to modernize it and mould it according to their materialistic needs.
It is worth knowing that this place has been declared both Natural World Heritage and Ramsar site as well in the year of 1991. This wetland, a home of about 312 important bird species, 90 fish species and of wild animals, which cover about 6,000-square-kilometre (2,300-square-mile) area, has now become a confronting ground being fertile with various business opportunities.
The reserve is inhabited by six globally threatened and near threatened species of birds that includes critically endangered slender-billed curlew, the vulnerable red-breasted goose, the near threatened ferruginous duck, the pygmy cormorant, and the white-tailed eagle.
How different organizations want to make money out of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve:
1. Industry Ministry- The condition can be well assessed that in spite of knowing that mines can harm wetland to a great extent industry sees large potentials of stone quarries in the region.
2. Tourism Ministry- The ministry wants big hotels and big roads to bring in more tourists in the premises of sanctuary.
3. Environment Ministry & Forestry ministry- It’s a complete chaos that despite carrying some similar features these two are not having the same opinion. Environment Ministry desires to protect area for wildlife and habitat while forestry ministry wants trees on the steppe bordering the delta.
National wildlife groups rues that Environment Agency in Tulcea is giving licenses to private firms to build EU-funded wind farms on protected land, resulting in danger to the steppe and the delta forever.
It is quite unfortunate that different agencies in charge of the delta appear to have rather different agendas that vividly show the indifferences of so-called well-wishers. Here, I’d ask these well-wishers that by disrupting the nature what they seek to promote...jungle of concrete or the hub of stone quarries. Tourists come here to feed on natural beauty and creating mammoth structure is not the way to promote tourism. One thing I fail to understand that why we see our future growth in already shrinking eco-system.
Bottom line
Promoting stone mines or constructing big hotels in the Europe’s largest remaining natural wetland is indeed a bad idea that should be condemned and must not be accepted in any form. It would not only pave way for pollution but also pose great threat to its biodiversity. Tourism and wetlands preservation can run simultaneously if government will try to develop eco-tourism in the region.
The specific areas should be marked and only limited number of visitors should be allowed every day. Instead of inviting foreign investors, government can ensure maximum participation of local dwellers. It can work on two different grounds. First, it will give some bounce to the downtrodden economy of province (As per the news in Media). Second, it will make people more eco-friendly.
