Lower Prut floodplain

The Lower Prut River serves as the state border between Moldova and Romania. The Lower Prut floodplain is a site that is 147 km in length and covers 21,850 ha, including 6,114 ha of wetlands.

The Lower Prut floodplain has preserved many natural features despite human pressures on both sides of the river in Romania and Moldova. The area still holds a wide range of biotopes, supporting a high level of biodiversity of international significance, especially migratory birds.

In 1991, an area of 1,691 ha - the Prutul de Jos Nature Reserve in Moldova - was designated as state reserve under strict level of protection and nominated as the first Ramsar site of Moldova.

In 2003, in Romania, an area of 8,247 ha was designated as Nature Park (Lower Prut Nature Park), just across the most important wetlands in Moldova – Prutul de Jos Nature Reserve.

Today, joint planning between Romania and Moldova is essential to ensure the long-term viability of the Lower Prut floodplain. A strategic partnership is needed to promote the designation of a crossborder protected area that would cover 53,000 ha. Key actors are the managers of the existing protected areas in Romania (Lower Prut Nature Park Administration) and in Moldova (Prutul de Jos Nature Reserve Administration), the National Forest Authorities (RomSilva and MoldSilva), NGOs and local communities.