Lower Prut biosphere reserve of Moldova gets special status at UNESCO

Chisinau, 27 July /MOLDPRES/ - The first Biosphere Reserve from Moldova, Lower Prut, has also become the first protected area from the country to get status of international importance at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The UNESCO Coordinating Council has taken a decision to this end.
“This is a result of joint actions, made by competent institutions, central and local authorities, beginning with the 2015 year, when ten settlements of the Cahul district were included in a project on the creation of the first biosphere reserve in the meadow of the Lower Prut,’’ a consultant at the Moldsilva Forestry Agency, Victoria Covali, has said.
The reserve stretches on an area of about 15,000 hectares and is aimed at protecting and conserving a zone of natural habitat.  
Contacted by MOLDPRES, the project manager of the Lower Prut Biosphere Reserve, Anatolie Risina, said that the creation of this protected area had been backed by the European Union through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. ‘’Last year, we submitted all needed acts to UNESCO, so that the Biosphere Reserve from the Lower Prut meadow gets special status of international importance. In the end, this goal has been achieved, which is an unquestionable success for all the team which carried out the project. Especially as this is the first protected area of Moldova to get such a mark,’’ Risina said.   
Asked about the benefits for the Reserve, once the status of international importance got at UNESCO, Anatolie Risina stressed that Lower Prut would be advantaged in more contexts. ‘’First of all, more projects at local level could be enforced. Secondly, there will be more premises for carrying out special programmes of research, scientific studies, studies of ecologic education, etc. The Lower Prut Zone is an interesting and precious natural area; yet, it requires money for research. It will be easier to access this financing,’’ Anatolie Risina noted.   
The creation of the reserve fits into a trilateral cross-border project Romania-Ukraine-Moldova, Consolidation of the network of natural areas for the protection of biodiversity and sustainable development in the region of the Danube Delta and Lower Prut – Pan Nature. The project’s partners on behalf of Moldova are the Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ministry, Moldsilva Agency, Cahul district council and the Lower Prut Nature reserve.  
The reserve’s management is carried out according to regulations and plans on protection-conservation recommended by the Man-Biosphere programme, carried out under the aegis of UNESCO. ‘’Thus, we want this zone to become attractive for tourists, with the destination included on the national and international tourism agenda. At the same time, the local authorities expect the implementation of more projects of regional development with attracting investments,’’ Anatolie Risina added.
(Reporter L. Grubii, editor A. Raileanu)