Case study

Colentina lakes chain: an area to be protected in Bucharest

Elevated view of Colentina lakes chain in Bucharest.

Area characterisation:

Colentina lakes chain: an area to be protected in Bucharest. The area is a series of lakes formed in different periods (mostly during the communist regime) by damming Colentina River: Mogosoaia, Straulesti, Grivita, Baneasa, Herastrau, Floreasca, Tei, Plumbuita, Colentina, Fundeni, Pantelimon, and Cernica. The biodiversity changed, as new ecotone areas appeared (river, lakes, and wetlands).

 

Objective:

This case study is an example where the environment was gradually changed. A river was turned into a chain of lakes, and additional wetlands appeared.  Although the biodiversity is greater than in the first case, the area does not have a protected status, and the greed of real estate investors is a serious threat. Several details follow below.

Start/end date:

Potential impacts/benefits:

Green space management (including enhancing/ conserving urban biodiversity

  • Increase accessibility to green open spaces.
  • Changing the image of the urban environment.
  • Increase awareness of NbS solution & their effectiveness and co-benefits. Increase Biodiversity.
  • Increase the quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures.
  • Improve connectivity and functionality of green and blue infrastructures.
  • Increase achievements of biodiversity targets.
  • Increased cultural richness and biodiversity.
  • Carbon sequestration and storage.

Actions:

No action was taken to protect the area, although the pressure of real estate investors increased. Some wetlands are lost and the landscape degraded by the protected of the area, even in the communist time, but especially after. There is no particular NGO campaigning for the area.

Contacts:

A_Petrisor (ThinkNature username)

NBS goals:

  • Restoring ecosystems and their functions
  • Developing climate change mitigation
  • Developing climate change adaptation
  • Nature-based solutions for improving well-being in urban areas
  • Multi-functional nature-based watershed management and ecosystem restoration
  • Increasing carbon sequestration through nature-based solutions

NBS benefits:

  • Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience
  • Increasing infiltration
  • Reduce flood risk
  • Developing climate change mitigation
  • Carbon sequestration and storage
  • Increase Biodiversity

Publications and reports:

http://www.colentina.org/ (Romanian site, the result of a Le: Notre Forum of 2015, focused on the area)

http://www.alpab.ro/salba-lacuri-raul-colentina/ (Romanian, official description on the website of the authority managing urban lakes and parks)