Bucharest\u2019s B\u0103neasa Forest, one of the Romanian capital\u2019s most important green lungs, is at the center of a growing dispute as environmental groups warn of irreversible damage if forest roads are opened to car traffic.<\/p>\n
More than 40 non-governmental organizations and civic groups, together with the Bucharest Environmental Platform, issued an open letter<\/a> on Tuesday, August 26, urging the Ministry of Environment to immediately block any plans to open forest roads for vehicles. They argue that such a move would violate the Forestry Code (Law no. 331\/2024) and threaten the ecological integrity of the B\u0103neasa Forest, a key part of the Bucharest-Ilfov Green Belt.<\/p>\n According to the Bucharest Natural Park Association, for nearly two decades, the developer of the Greenfield residential complex has sought access roads through the forest, despite urban planning obligations requiring connections to the city\u2019s ring road. The NGOs say that opening the forest road between Consolight and Aleea Padina would accelerate uncontrolled expansion of the neighborhood and fragment the forest beyond repair.<\/p>\n \u201cThe road in question is public property of the Romanian state and part of the national forest fund, where the Forestry Code explicitly prohibits public vehicle access,\u201d the signatories warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n They stressed that B\u0103neasa Forest is vital for the health of Bucharest residents, serving as both a recreational area and a natural habitat. Allowing cars into the area, they said, would destroy habitats, increase pollution, and undermine the right to a healthy environment.<\/p>\n The groups are calling on environment minister Diana Buzoianu to take a clear public stance against opening the forest roads, to review the legality of a toll contract signed between the Ilfov Forestry Directorate and the Greenfield B\u0103neasa Federation, and to initiate procedures to declare the forest a protected natural area. They also demanded full transparency through publication of the contract, which involves public assets.<\/p>\n Environmentalists warn that the move could set a dangerous precedent, paving the way for other forests across Romania to be opened to real estate development.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSuch a decision would lead to habitat degradation, the disappearance of protected species, and the transformation of forests from ecological sanctuaries into traffic arteries,\u201d states the open letter.<\/p>\n A few days back, the Bucharest Natural Park Association urged the General Council of Bucharest to place on its agenda a proposal to transfer over 330 hectares of B\u0103neasa Forest to the administration of District 1 City Hall. According to the association, the draft resolution has been stalled for months despite meeting all formal criteria since June and enjoying majority backing from councillors across political parties.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough the project has the declared support of PNL, PSD, USR, PUSL, and REPER councillors, the General Mayor has deliberately delayed bringing it to a vote,\u201d the association wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n Scientific studies carried out by the Bucharest Natural Park Association underline the forest\u2019s biodiversity, with 115 species of invertebrates (seven protected), eight protected amphibians, six reptiles (five protected), 49 bird species (11 protected), and 19 mammals, including 15 on protected lists.<\/p>\n irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n (Photo source:\u00a0Cristi Croitoru<\/a>\/Dreamstime.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bucharest\u2019s B\u0103neasa Forest, one of the Romanian capital\u2019s most important green lungs, is at the center of a growing dispute as environmental groups warn of irreversible damage if forest roads are opened to car traffic. More than 40 non-governmental organizations and civic groups, together with the Bucharest Environmental Platform, issued an open letter on Tuesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}