Conservation status of species and habitats of community importance on the Romanian Black Sea coast

The Romanian Black Sea coastal zone encompasses two regions according to the Natura 2000 bioregions (Steppic - STE and Black Sea - BLS) and the third is Marine Black Sea (MBLS) according to the Marine bioregion classification. Consequently, this area shelters a high diversity of species (89) and habitats (32) of Community interest. Their conservation status (CS) was assessed in the frame of the national monitoring under the Habitats Directive, article 17, revealing the presence of 11 habitat types and 80 species in the Steppic region area, 21 habitats and 46 species in the Black Sea region, and 7 habitats and 8 species in the marine region, some of them being common for two or all three bioregions. Overall, CS was assessed as "Favourable" for 20 habitat types and 24 species, "Unfavourable-inadequate" for 16 habitats and 88 species, "Unfavourable-bad" for 2 habitats and 11 species, "Unknown" for one habitat, and 11 species. Among the species of Community interest, there are five sturgeon species whose status was assessed as "Unfavourable-bad". Their conservation is actively promoted under the EU Strategy for the Danube Region by the program Sturgeon 2020, where a series of transnational measures and integrative actions were foreseen by the Danube countries.