Conservationists race to protect Bucharest’s wildlife
Conservationists are racing to protect Bucharest's wildlife
Swathes of wetland and forest on the outskirts of Romania's capital
are home to turtles, snakes, otters, muskrats
and birds including herons, grebes, terns, kestrels and cormorants
(SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) 61-YEAR-OLD SECURITY CONSULTANT, REZA ZARE, SAYING:
"I can't name the species but what I see outside of my house is better than television, hundreds of birds I haven't seen anywhere, in pictures, in books, on TV."
Environmentalists have started cataloguing animals and plants
which they hope will help create a nation-wide network of urban wildlife areas
that can safeguard biodiversity and help combat climate change
(SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) EXECUTIVE MANAGER OF VACARESTI NATURAL PARC ASSOCIATION, DAN BARBULESCU, SAYING:
"Being charismatic species, these animals help educate the community, becoming ambassadors of a different type of a city, or a different type of neighborhood."
