The territory of The Natural Danube Delta Reservation, limitated according to law, has an overall surface of about 580.000 hectares including The Danube Delta, the Lacustrine Complex of Razim-Sinoe, the maritime Danube up to Cotul Pisicii including the floodable area of Somova-Parches, Lake Saraturi-Murghiol and the marine area between the seaside and the 20 m fathom line.
The Geographic position of the reservation is defined by the next geographical coordinates: 28°10’50” (Cotul Pisicii) and 29°42’45” (Sulina) eastern longitude; 45°27’ (Chilia branch, km 43) and 44°20’40” (Capul Midia) northern latitude. Of the total surface of the reservation, over a half represent the natural aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems which are included in the list of universal patrimony valuable areas (UNESCO), as well as the ones which are fated to ecological reconstruction, areas which represent national interest public domain. The rest of the areas include impounded area for the practice of pisciculture, agriculture and sylviculture (proxy. 80.000 hectares), areas mentioned in the Law 18/1991, which include areas of terrain which are private or public property, and also a reserve maritime are of about 103.00 hectares.
The Danube Delta is home to a great variety of species both plants and animals, some strictly adapted to delta conditions, but also to a particularly interesting community. Through the variety of the characteristic habitats , The Danube Delta has a special importance to some bird species. At the same time, from over 300 bird species which we can find here, over half of them are protected or strictly protected species according to The International Convention.
The birds represent only a small part of the variety of species encountered in this territory, because nowadays there have been discovered over 5500 species of plants and animals. Through it’s diversity The Danube Delta constitutes a natural museum of biodiversity, a bank of natural genes of an inestimable value for the universal natural patrimony.
A lot of plant species or animal species constitute important natural resources, economically exploitable that have been attracting people in these places for a long time. The human settlements were based in principle on the capitalization of natural resources, this way evolving traditional economic activities and characteristic social relations. Subsequent, there have been ideas of overexploitation of natural resources. This idea, which we can encounter nowadays by a growing pressure over these resources, and especially over the fish and the field which had severe consequences like the derangement of the existing natural equilibrium by the disparition of some reproducing areas, the blocking up of certain bays.
