The Mureș Floodplain Natural Park, set aside by the Romanian government in 2005, is located in western

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

outside the city of Arad. The park covers 17,455 ha and follows the river Mureș westward from the city of Arad to the Hungarian border. The park is a typical ecosystem for wetlands, with running waters,

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s and

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s, with

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, an important place for the passage and nesting of bird species and is subjected to periodical floods (a flood every three years). The forests (7,500 ha) in the park are made up primarily of common oak, narrow-leafed ash, black and white poplar, white willow, and American black walnut. This area is an important place for nesting and passage for nearly 200 species of birds, most of which are strictly protected internationally. The main purpose of the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park is to protect and preserve the habitats and landscape diversity from the region. The park has been designated a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

, the park was designated a SPA (

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

) for birds, and a SAC (

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

) for other species and habitats. Within the park, there are 4 strictly protected natural reserves: The Cenad Forest (310.5 ha), Big Isle of Cenad (2.1 ha), Igriș Islands (7 ha), and Prundul Mare (717.9 ha). The park is a sister park with the

Körös-Maros National Park Körös-Maros National Park is one of the 10 national parks in Hungary (area 501.34 km2), located in Békés county, in the Southern Great Plain. The park was created in 1997 for the protection of birds. Körös-Maros National Park has a nu ...

, in Hungary. The two parks border each other and have created a cross-border protected area with a future common management plan.

Biology

The Mureș Floodplain Natural Park has an ecosystem that is typical for wetlands, with running and still waters, large forests and periodic floods (every several years).

Flora

The vegetation in the park grows in a continental climate, with warm summers and moderate winters. The annual average temperature is 10.5 degrees Celsius and the average annual rainfall is 550 mm. Many plants within the park need the periodic flooding in order to germinate and to consume the nutrients freshly dissolved in the water. A large number of plants in the park are on "the red list of superior plants in Romania", meaning they are vulnerable or rare species. Some of these include: yarrow (''Achillea thracica''),

water soldier ''Stratiotes'' is a genus of submerged aquatic plant commonly known as water soldiers, described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. Several specific names have been coined within the genus, but at present only one is recognized: ''Stratiotes aloid ...

(''

Stratiotes aloides ''Stratiotes aloides'', commonly known as water soldiers or water pineapple, is a submerged aquatic plant native to Europe and northwestern Asia. In Britain it was once common in East Anglia and still is in many places, particularly wet ditches a ...

''), common corncockle (''

Agrostemma githago ''Agrostemma githago'', the common corn-cockle (also written "corncockle") is a herbaceous annual flowering plant in the pink and carnation family Caryophyllaceae. Description It grows with a stem to long with lanceolate leaves. The flowers ar ...

''), ''Cirsium brachycephalum'', prostrate false pimpernel (''Lindernia procumbens''), brittle waternymph (''

Najas minor ''Najas minor'', known as brittle naiad or brittle waternymph, is an annual aquatic plant, a submersed herb. It is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa from the Netherlands to Morocco east to Japan and the Philippines, including China, Siberia ...

''), hog's fennel (''

Peucedanum officinale ''Peucedanum officinale'' is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Apiaceae found mainly in Central Europe and Southern Europe. It is also native to the UK, where it has the common names hog's fennel and sulphurweed, but it is a rare plant t ...

''), lesser butterfly-orchid (''

Platanthera bifolia ''Platanthera bifolia'', commonly known as the lesser butterfly-orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus ''Platanthera'', having certain relations with the genus ''Orchis'', where it was previously included and also with the genus ''Habenari ...

''), Scottish dock ('' Rumex aquaticus''), French vetch (''Vicia narbonensis'' L. ssp. ''serratifolia''). Besides this, there are also three species which are strictly protected according to the Bern Convention: European waterclover (''

Marsilea quadrifolia ''Marsilea quadrifolia'' is a herbaceous plant found naturally in central and southern Europe, Caucasia, western Siberia, Afghanistan, south-west India, China, Japan, and Vietnam, though it is considered a weed in some parts of the United State ...

''), floating watermoss (''

Salvinia natans ''Salvinia natans'' (commonly known as floating fern, floating watermoss, floating moss, or commercially, water butterfly wings) is an annual floating aquatic fern, which can appear superficially similar to moss. It is found throughout the worl ...

''), water caltrop (''

Trapa natans The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok (Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin kok ...

''). Stands of oak (''

Quercus robur ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...

'') and ash (''

Fraxinus angustifolia ''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and E ...

'') are predominant in the park, together with the coppices of black and white poplar (''

Populus nigra ''Populus nigra'', the black poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar, the type species of section ''Aigeiros'' of the genus '' Populus'', native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa.Flora Europaea''Populus nigra''/ref> ...

'' and ''

Populus alba ''Populus alba'', commonly called silver poplar,Webb, C. J.; Sykes, W. R.; Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. 4. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R. si ...

'') and white willow (

Salix alba ''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain an ...

). These species are mostly found in the small forest in the Cenad area and in the 6,000-ha forest along the Mureș River between Arad and the village of Semlac (which includes the Ceala Forest).

Fauna

The fauna in the park encompasses a multitude of species, from large mammals to species living on the river bottom. There are large populations of mammal species living within the park. Among these are: European hamster ('' Cricetus cricetus''), European polecat (''

Mustela putorius The European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), also known as the common polecat, black polecat, or forest polecat, is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and North Africa. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbelly ...

''), brown long-eared bat (''

Plecotus auritus ''Plecotus'' is a genus of vesper bat, commonly called long-eared bats. They are found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Many species in the genus have only been described and recognized in recent years. Species Genus ''Plecotus'' – lon ...

''), otter (''

Lutra lutra The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...

''), European wildcat (''

Felis silvestris The European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. Its fur is ...

''), red fox (''

Vulpes vulpes The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

''), red deer (''

Cervus elaphus The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

''), wild boar (''

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

''), fallow deer (''

Dama dama The European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), also known as the common fallow deer or simply fallow deer, is a species of ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. It is historically native to Turkey and possibly the Italian Peninsula, Bal ...

'') and roe deer (''

Capreolus capreolus The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

''). In 1988, the area which is now the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park was designated as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

because of the existence of numerous bird species. Nearly all the birds living in The Mures Floodplain Natural Park are included in the annexes of the Bern Convention and the EU's Habitats Directive. Among them is the lesser spotted eagle ('' Aquila pomarina''), whose numbers within the park are low, but which was chosen as symbol of the natural park. Approximately 200 species of birds live or pass through the park every year. Among these are: great cormorants (''

Phalacrocorax carbo The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...

''), black-crowned night-heron (''

Nycticorax nycticorax The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and N ...

''), grey heron (''

Ardea cinerea The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Palearctic, Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the m ...

''), mallard (''

Anas platyrhynchos The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

''), black-headed gull (''

Larus ridibundus The black-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'') is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds re ...

''), Eurasian coot (''

Fulica atra The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-bla ...

''), little bittern (''

Ixobrychus minutus The little bittern or common little bittern (''Ixobrychus minutus'') is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. ''Ixobrychus'' is from Ancient Greek ''ixias'', a reed-like plant and ''brukhomai'', to bellow, and ''minutus'' is Latin for "sm ...

''), little grebe (''

Tachybaptus ruficollis The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Lati ...

''), water rail ('' Rallus aquaticus''), European bee-eater (''

Merops apiaster The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African populati ...

''). There is also a very large number of sand martins (''

Riparia riparia The sand martin (''Riparia riparia''), also known as the bank swallow (in the Americas), collared sand martin, or common sand martin, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the w ...

''). Nearly half of the entire population of sand martins on the Mureș River can be found within the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park. All six of the species of reptiles and nine species of amphibians identified within the park are mentioned in the annexes of the Bern Convention and the EU's

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

. Their inclusion in these lists is due to the regress of these species, which are considered barometers for the state of an ecosystem's health. Among these are: European pond terrapin (''

Emys orbicularis The European pond turtle (''Emys orbicularis''), also called commonly the European pond terrapin and the European pond tortoise, is a species of long-living freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Western Palearc ...

''), dice snake (''

Natrix tessellata ''Natrix'' is a genus of Old World snakes found across Eurasia (although the range of '' Natrix tessellata'' extends into Egypt and those of '' N. astreptophora'' and '' N. maura'' into north-west Africa) in the subfamily Natricinae of the fa ...

''), European fire-bellied toad (''

Bombina bombina The European fire-bellied toad (''Bombina bombina'') is a species of fire-bellied toad native to eastern parts of mainland Europe, where it can be found near waterbodies such as ponds and marshes. It is known for its red colored belly used to wa ...

''), and the great crested newt (''

Triturus cristatus The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...

''). For the fish species in the park, the periodic flooding of the Mureș River is a blessing; this process provides new spawning grounds, as well as generating new food and protection. The ichthyofauna in the park has a rich diversity and contains more fish species than any other section of the Mureș River. It is only in this section of the Mureș River that some species exist: white-eye bream ('' Abramis sapa''), zarte (''

Vimba vimba ''Vimba vimba'', called also the vimba bream, vimba, zanthe, or zarte, is a European fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It largely lives in the sea but makes an annual migration up-river each year to breed. Description The vimba bream was at ...

''), crucian carp (''

Carassius carassius The crucian carp (''Carassius carassius'') is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German ''karusse'' or ''karutze'', possibly from Medieval Lati ...

''), brown bullhead (''

Ameiurus nebulosus The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''A ...

''), striped ruffe ('' Gymnocephalus schraetser''), zingel ('' Zingel zingel'').

Recreation/tourism

Because of the proximity of the park to so many municipalities, the area that is now the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park has been used for recreation for centuries. Throughout time, local citizens have depended on this area for both recreation and to sustain their lives. The creation of the park in 2005, insures this will continue in the future, but with oversight and regulations. The most visited areas of the park are the Ceala Forest (due to its proximity to the city of Arad) and the Bezdin area (widely known as the most natural section of the park).

The Ceala Forest Visitor's Center

Between 2001 and 2005, the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park implemented, at what was then the largest

Phare The Phare programme is one of the three pre-accession instruments financed by the European Union to assist the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe in their preparations for joining the European Union. Originally created in 1989 as ...

grant in Romania (co-financed for 2.6 million Euros). Among other infrastructure projects, this grant built the park's current visitor's center. In May 2007, the Ceala Forest Visitor's Center, just outside the city of Arad, had its grand opening. The building houses a 34-bed hotel, a conference room that seats up to 70 people, a kitchen and dining area, a laboratory, and the park's administrative offices.

Eco-tourism

The park's eco-tourism program has two components: a guided/unguided canoe trip on the Mures River from the city of Arad to the town of Pecica; and bicycle rentals to be used on the park's bicycle trail network. Both are extremely popular during the spring and summer months.

Cultural

There are three monasteries within the park boundaries. All three monasteries are owned and operated by their respective churches, but due to their proximity to the Mureș River and its important ecosystem, these lands fall under the supervision and protection of the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park. On the northern side of the river is the Saint Paraschiva Monastery, which can be found just outside the village of Bodrogu Vechi. This is the newest monastery in the park and is accessed from the town of Pecica. On the southern side of the river are other two monasteries. The

Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery The Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery is one of the oldest monastic institutions in Romania. It was originally a Roman Catholic (Benedictine) monastery, built before 1177 and destroyed before 1293. The present monastery, which belongs to the Romanian Ortho ...

, dating from 1177, is one of the oldest monastic institutions in the Romanian Orthodox Church. The monastery is accessible from the village of Bodrogu Nou and is 17 km from the city of Arad. The monastery is active and has many monks living and working there. The Bezdin Monastery, dating from 1539, is one of the few Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Romania which is still preserved. In comparison to the Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery, Bezdin is very isolated and is situated in what is considered the most natural part of the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park. The monastery is accessible from the commune of Munar and is 31 km from the city of Arad.

Bird watching and wildlife viewing

Because of the rich bird life within the park, the park administration constructed two structures in the Bezdin area. In 2004, the park erected a wildlife viewing tower in an area of the forest that is known to have wildlife viewing potential. In 2005, the park erected a bird watching tower near the Bezdin marsh. Both of these towers are accessible from the Bezdin Monastery and the commune of Munar.

Hunting and fishing

Hunting is allowed within the park during certain seasons and in specific areas. Fishing is also allowed, but only with a fishing license.

Environmental education

Because of the close proximity to a large city and the potentially large impact this causes the park, the park's environmental education program grew rapidly in the first three years in existence: 100 students (2006), 900 students (2007), and over 2,000 students (2008). The park administration was trained by

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organizations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt and Kurt Hahn in 1941. Today there are organizations, called schools, in over 35 countries which are att ...

Romania on experiential education strategies in the summer of 2007. The park has the Romanian park system's first low ropes course and has received notoriety in Romanian national news and within the park system for its education efforts.

Notes

References

* Pîrv, Ovidiu (2004). "The Mures Floodplain Natural Park" (15).

External links

Official site

Romsilva website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mures Floodplain Natural Park Protected areas of Romania Protected areas established in 2005 Ramsar sites in Romania Floodplains of Europe Forests of Romania