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| The Cefa Natural Park |
| (2011-05-27) |
| Last updated: 2011-08-29 14:00 EET |
Located some 25 km from Oradea, Cefa is a fishermen’s heaven. The creation of the fishery in Cefa, which exceeds 600 hectares, was a lengthy process. Over 100 hectares of islands covered by reed are the ideal habitat for a large number of birds, many of which are on the European and world list of protected species.
Large areas of marshes, swamps, canals, forests, pastures and floodplains have made people compare the Cefa Natural Park with the Danube Delta in terms of beauty and number of habitats. The Cefa Natural Park was set up in 2006 and officially declared a protected area early this year.
Alin Mos, the director of the Apuseni Natural Park and the man who coordinated the project for the new Cefa Park has more: ” Between 2003 and 2007 we carried out a project entitled ‘Romanian-Hungarian corridor for the preservation of biodiversity’. This was a cross-border cooperation project run together with the Koros-Maros National Park from Hungary. Cefa is by far one of the most important areas on the Romanian-Hungarian border in terms of biological diversity and one that had long needed to be granted the protected area status. Over time, a number of areas have been created along the border. Located on floodplain land, they contained many wet pockets where water birds can find food and nest. In the past, Cefa was mainly a low area permanently covered by water, so birds made it a habit of coming here. In the early 20th century, the owner of the land realised he failed in the attempt to drain the area and decided to create fishponds instead. This is in fact when the first fish farm was built in the area. This fish farm still exists today and covers 700 hectares, being an important place for water birds to stop and feed here. The Cefa area is situated on the Pannonian-Bulgarian migration corridor, one of the main bird migration corridors in Europe. The fact that the area is still on this route after so many years proves how valuable it is and how, despite using its natural resources, the people in the area have not spoilt its real natural assets.”
The Radvani forest, which forms part of the Cefa Natural Park, is the only oak forest in the Cris floodplain. The forest is home to an important bird reserve, namely the Cefa Egret Colony, which span a surface of 3 hectares and accommodates more than 1,500 nests.
This area is also a nesting place for large groups of 6 endangered species in Europe and two species of world importance: the ferruginous duck, which can be found here in large numbers, and the saker falcon, also known as the Danubian falcon, which makes regular appearances in the area. During migration periods, lakes and open areas nearby are visited by large groups of egrets, ducks, geese and swans, in total about 80,000 water birds.
Large groups of geese can often be spotted on the plains south of the lakes. The western reef egret also nests here, while the yellow pond lily is one of the protected plants growing here.
Alin Mos has more: “Cefa is affectionately called ‘The Delta between the Cris Rivers’ because of its bird diversity. In Cefa you can find all the species in the Danube Delta with the single exception of the pelican. Although Cefa cannot compare to the Danube Delta in terms of size, it may become a major tourist attraction for people who want to visit wetlands and see many different bird species, especially the people in the west of Romania. Cefa spans 5,000 hectares on Romanian territory and about 8,000 hectares across the border, in Hungary, which makes up a surface of some 13,000 hectares. Several Natura 2000 sites have been declared in the area, which underlines the area’s importance in terms of species and habitat protection in Europe. At the moment, it is one of several tens of cross-border parks in Europe, but we hope to integrate it, in the years to come, into the working network of these parks. This will show that the cooperation between Romanian and Hungarian authorities is real and the management of these areas yields results when it comes to protecting bio-diversity.”
Acquiring the protected area status will enable locals who wish to invest in ecological farming to receive subsidies, which is one more reason why Cefa can become an important tourist destination.
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