When they hear “Dâmbovița”, the people of Bucharest think of the concrete canal in Piața Unirii, a boring and listless place. However, there is a place in Bucharest where Dambovitsa looks different. At the entrance to Bucharest, in Lacul Morii, the concrete canal was once again captured by nature and turned into a factory of life – a “bird’s paradise”, as biologists call it. This place was opened during the pandemic by the Vacaresti Natural Park Association, and thanks to its extraordinary biodiversity, it could become Bucharest’s second natural park. In addition, the area is also easily accessible, as it is ideal for walking, jogging or cycling, thanks to the 3.5 km promenade located on the shore between Lake Morii and Kiaina.

The Dambovice Delta, actually the area between Lacul Morii and Chiajna, has an area of ​​about 47 hectares. In the 80s, when systematization works were carried out, the shores were also concreted here, but for the last almost 40 years, no one interfered and nature made its way through the concrete, and the shores are now green, and reeds have grown from them. water

“The territory is systematized, the banks are concreted, we are not talking about the wild, original Dambovitsa, but since the 80s, when Lake Moriy was completed and the Zurel dam was restored, but more than 30 years have passed, and the banks are wild. Vegetation has grown, the soil has settled, the fields have transformed, they were covered with trees, willows, reeds, and when I came here, I discovered this area in 2021, I like to look and see what Dambovitsa from Bucharest could look like. If certain areas of it are interfered with from a landscape point of view, the vegetation will be left in a controlled way to invade and go wild,” explained Dan Barbulescu, director of the Vaqueresti Natural Park Association.

Apart from the aesthetic side, this place has become home to almost 100 species of birds, which now has an extraordinary biodiversity that can be compared to the Vakereshti Nature Park.

“What is unique and impressive about Dambovitsa from the entrance to Lake Morij to Kyažna, the area we call the Delta of Dambovitsa, although it is not a real delta, but the area where Dambovitsa flows into Lake Morij? There is a lot of water and a lot of reeds, this is a wild area, wet thickets that are a paradise for dozens of bird species. Every spring and winter we meet and count the birds that land on these ponds and so far we have counted more than 100 species, some of them unique, like the Arctic Gull, because this is an area where the birds can stop during the passage and is a wintering area – when the ponds in Bucharest freeze or are very cold, these places allow you to feed. All the waterfowl that we know from the Vaquereşti Nature Park are also here, from all kinds of ducks – the little duck, the mottled duck, the mallard, the mallard, the red-necked duck, the brown-headed duck. , up to larger species – herons, swans, cormorants,” explained Dan Barbulescu, director of the Association of Vaquerest Natural Park.

The place has another advantage. On the shore, between Lake Moriy and Kyazhna, a promenade has already been arranged, so it is accessible to everyone.

“That combination of the waterfront, the reeds and the openness that this place offers because it’s on the edge of the city and you don’t see that many buildings built at the moment makes for a very nice feeling. I think it’s a unique place in Bucharest, where the access is civilized, the landscape is beautiful and very rich, and on weekends you can come here to run, ride a bike, come with the kids for a walk,” explained Dan Berbulescu.

The plan of the Văcărești Natural Park Association foresees that in the near future the area will receive a protected status so that it will not be destroyed.

“Our interest in the short term is that this territory acquires the status of nature conservation, that is, the territory of water shen, that is, part of shen and reeds, nature conservation regime, which can be local. interest or even a natural park. As in the case of Petricani and Benyas polony, there are scientific arguments for these areas to even become nature parks. On the other hand, we want the area to become more and more famous thanks to these natural features. Then let’s start tracking diversity better, to know exactly which species live where, to implement some conservation and ecological reconstruction measures. A lot can be done to keep this green-blue road as it is, the blocks did not reach its edge, even a linear park was set up on the edge, I saw that the city hall is thinking the same thing,” Dan Barbulescu explained.

Luciu de Apă is managed by Apelor Române and the association says it will speak to the administrator about a partnership.

“The Ilfov Basin Administration is open to these discussions, somehow we maintain a cooperative relationship with them from the Văcărești Natural Park, and if we manage to involve the City Hall of Sector 6 in this idea, maybe even the City Hall of Kiain, we can build a partnership scheme that will facilitate and will ultimately lead to the implementation of the project. We are interested in people getting to know this place, coming here to see the birds, schools in the area organizing small excursions,” explained Dan Barbulescu.

Similar to what was done in Petricani, in partnership with the Sector 2 City Hall, Dan Barbulescu says information panels and small events can be set up here to help people in the area discover this oasis of biodiversity.

“Next year we would like to start discussions with the entities I mentioned and maybe even put up information boards so that people who come by bike or run can learn more about the nature and history of the region. Placement of information boards, birdhouses, feeders, small burrows, possibly during the mating season, organized small actions to save frogs that move from fields to reservoirs, as happens in civilized countries – transport stops for two weeks to a month, so that frogs can easily reach breeding sites, I can turn this area into an attraction,” explained Dan Barbulescu.

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