ASPECTS FROM THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND ROLE OF ICAS IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN PROTECTED AREAS

In order to continue the predecessorsâ__ activity for virgin forest conservation,the forest researchers have strongly involved themselves from the very beginning of ICAS, 1933, both in nature conservation in protected areas and in the direct management of the tens of reserves of ICAS. In order to diminish the depletion of forest resources during the soviet occupancy (1944-1958), the forest researchers have developed and implemented an appropriate forest management planning system. In this respect they have promoted a Resolution of the Minister Council No. 114/1954 on the forest functional zoning which provided the efficient endemic conservation of the environment by setting up temporarily protected natural reserves in forest areas, in forest management plans endorsed by the Ministry of Forestry (Fig.1). At the end of the â__60s a concept was developed in ICAS for a large and unique system of national parks and, after 35 years, of a large unitary system of natural protected landscapes in forest area (Fig. 3). For selecting and conserving the most valuable forest samples, original methods have been developed for quantifying the biodiversity, the naturalness of our woodlands and of the landscape potential. Due to the ICAS contribution of 15 years of researches (1988-2002): (1) the protected area increased from 0.39 %, in 1989 to 5.19% in 2002; (2) the number of small recognized protected areas in forest area increased from 41 to about 350, except those from the large protected areas; (3) the number of national parks and other protected areas increased from 1 to 17, and their area, also including non-wooded lands, increased 113 times, from about 100 km2 to about 11.300 km2; (4) the problem of the Romanian virgin forests and the need to preserve them through protected areas (Fig. 2) was promoted to the Romanian and European authorities and mass-media; (5) biodiversity conservation in protected areas was taken over in governmental strategies for sus- Forest Research and Management Institute, Bucharest, Romania Anale I.C.A.S., 46 298 tainable development, in laws, national and international statistics. The censoring of the natural reserve list in the annex of Law 5/2000, the noncompliance of the dispositions of the Governmental Emergency Ordinance No. 236/2000 and of the Laws No. 5/2000 and 462/2001 in forest management- planning regarding the natural protected areas, conservation of natural habitats, flora and fauna during forest management planning is against the stipulations of the Constitution (Art. 11) and are obstacles for the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas. Keywords: forest management plan, protected areas, biodiversity, national parks, relict, virgin and quasivirgin forests, temporarily protected natural reserves in forest area.