Designated terrestrial protected areas

Between 2016 and 2022, the protected surface area and the number of protected natural areas at the national level increased in Romania. Natura 2000 land sites cover 53 833 km² in Romania, and Romania ranked sixth among EU Member States in terms of total area of .

In the national recovery and resilience plan, pillar I (‘Green transition – forests and biodiversity protection’), Romania established the following targets

• increasing urban forest area with at least 500 000 m² by 2023, or increasing newly forested or reforested land areas with at least 3 150 000 m² by 2026;
• updating the management plans for 250 sites in the national network of .

The Văcărești National Park Association established the Văcărești Natural Park in 2016. It is the first urban natural park in Romania, located 5 km from the centre of the capital, and the largest compact green space in Bucharest, .

To update the conservation programme and encourage the sustainable use of natural heritage, the government of Romania will revise the emergency ordinance on natural protected areas and the conservation of .