Dynamics of Land Cover Changes in Romanian Natura 2000 Network and Its Impact on the Stability of Ecosystems

Anthropogenic impact on protected areas is a current issue, taking into consideration the perspectives of the current EU operational programs, as well as the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, that aim to allocate significant resources to infrastructure, thus bringing human activity closer to protected habitats and species. Due to the well-developed policy framework of Natura 2000 network with an unquestionable role in biodiversity conservation and in the long-term fight against climate change, the authors of this chapter propose an anthropogenic impact assessment based on the dynamics of land cover changes analyzed for the protected areas network. The main datasets used in this evaluation were Corine Land Cover databases, available for five time references: 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018, as well as Corine Land Cover Changes datasets that provides additional data regarding land use transitions. The databases were integrated and processed using GIS spatial analysis methods. The results regarding the distribution and dynamics of ecosystems in Natura 2000 sites from Romania were correlated with the ecosystems dynamics of the entire country. This study aims to highlight possible trends in land use that may impact the stability of the ecosystems within the protected sites. The results of this assessment may be used in building a sustainable development strategy for the protected areas.