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2. Description of the case study 2.1. Location of the case study area Braila Islands is a large Long Term Socio-Ecological Research site, situated in the South-East of Romania, that extends over 2600km 2 and corresponds to a 78km long Danube sector that stretches between Harsova (kilometer 253) and Braila (kilometer 175) cities. This socio-ecological system is inhabited by near 300,000 people and comprises heavily modified ecosystems (e.g. Big Island of Braila) but also systems under a natural functional regime (e.g. Small Islands of Braila), being of a crucial natural and socio-economical value. Braila Islands Location of the case study area 27 48’36" E / 28 15 ’52" E 45 25’26” N / 44 35’ 18” N Fig.1. Location of the Braila Islands in the Lower Danube Basin. 2.2 Water system characteristics The Danube river in the Braila Islands section has been ranked as a heavily modified water body according to criteria 2.1 (embankment works) due to the hydro-technical works on 79% of the river stretch sector and a candidate to “heavily modified” according with the WFD criteria 2.2 (regulation works) as a result of dredging of 21% of the river bed for intensive navigation. The main remnant of the natural floodplains consists in the wetlands from the Small Island of Braila 4
Natural Park (SIBr) with a total surface of 210 square kilometers and the floodplains between the riverbanks and dikes of almost 93 square kilometers. 2.3. Short characterization of water use and water users 2.3.1. The main uses related to water in the region are: Agriculture – 73.46% of the total area is represented by agricultural land. In 2004, of the total 191,000 ha representing the agricultural surface, 71,960 ha (37.68% from the total agricultural area in Braila Islands) was irrigated according with water users associations data 1 . At that time, the widest irrigated area was represented by the Big Island of Braila with 64,663 ha (97% of the area) due to its predominant agricultural character. Navigation – The Danube segment between Harsova and Braila (Braila Islands area) is part of an important sector (Calarasi-Braila) of the Pan-European corridor no. VII. In the case-study section freight and passengers transport is done through Braila Harbour. Because, Braila port assures the connection between the fluvial and maritime Danube, in 2006 the cargo traffic consisted in approximatively 940,000 tones from which the maritime traffic accounted for about 220,000 tones and 720,000 tones for fluvial traffic according with the Union of Romanian Inland Ports data 2 . As draught is severely affecting navigation on the fluvial Danube (e.g. the draught from 2003), an ISPA project was designed to assure stabilization of the fairway through riverbed rehabilitation and improving of hydromorphological conditions in some critical points of the Calarasi-Braila sector. Therefore after 2012 it is expected that the cargo transport to strongly increase. Recreation and tourism – there are 3 touristical attraction areas in the Islands of Braila: Small Island of Braila Natural Park, Macin Natural Park and Lacu Sarat Spa resort. Nevertheless local people use more leisure areas from the region from the Braila beach (a recreation area that was created in the Big Island of Braila, on the right arm of the Danube to small recreational areas without facilities) Industry and households – there are two water plants in the area, one in Braila and one in Chiscani, which are supplying the end-users with drinking water extracted from Danube. 1 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development web-page, Journal of Irrigation Water Users Association registered in the National Register of Water Users Association, December 2004, downloaded from: http://www.maap.ro/pages/page.php?self=01&sub=0106&art=0607&var=010603 2 Union of Romanian Inland Ports web-page, Traffic Data 2000-2006, downloaded from: http://www.danubeports.ro/trafic_braila.html 5
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