Photo: Marius Vasile
In the heart of the Danube Delta—recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and part of the EU Natura 2000 network—the community of Mahmudia and WWF-Romania are sounding the alarm. Following today's decision by the Constanța Court of Appeal, maintaining that local authorities should rebuild the Carasuhat dyke, the community of Mahmudia, supported by over 10,000 signatories to a public petition, is calling on the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Forests, the Tulcea County Council, and the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government to take immediate action to prevent an ecological and social disaster in the Danube Delta.
The court's decision, if implemented, would bring back intensive agriculture to an area that had become an example of sustainable development based on water, tourism, and traditional activities, following a successful EU-funded restoration project concluded in 2016 and following the collapse of a dyke in 2023, allowing water to enter again the former floodplain.
"Mahmudia has shown that when nature regains its place, communities thrive. Rebuilding the dyke would lead not only to loss of biodiversity, but also to loss of income and the sustainable economic direction that people have built in recent years," said Orieta Hulea, General Director of WWF-Romania.
WWF-Romania and representatives of the local community are calling on the authorities to urgently initiate an inter-institutional dialogue to adopt the solution already identified – declaring Carasuhat a major public interest area. This decision would allow for fair compensation for agricultural concessionaires and maintain the area in its natural state. Furthermore, this decision is the only one that makes economic sense, as rebuilding the dyke would cost more than the compensation owed to the concessionaires.
Preserving Carasuhat is not only a local priority—it is a national and international responsibility.
Today, preserving the Carasuhat wetland is the only smart investment.
Mahmudia is now a model community that has reinvented its future in harmony with the Delta. The Carasuhat ecological restoration area has provided locals with opportunities to earn a living from slow tourism (newly built guesthouses offer accommodation, traditional food, boat trips, and guided tours for birdwatchers), traditional fishing, and related crafts and cultural activities.
This transformation is a direct result of wetland restoration—a core principle of the Ramsar Convention and Natura 2000’s vision for sustainable land use.
"We invite representatives of the Romanian Government to come to Mahmudia and see for themselves what a vibrant, nature-based economy looks like. Carasuhat should not be buried under dirt, but transformed into a symbol of the Delta's future," added Orieta Hulea, general director of WWF-Romania.
We also call on international partners, including The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, UNESCO, and the European Commission, to support the protection of this unique wetland landscape.
Background information
Nine years ago, part of the former Carasuhat agricultural enclosure was returned to the Delta through an ecological restoration project. In 2023, flooding caused the area to double in size.
Since 2016, the number of guesthouses in Mahmudia has tripled. Local people are returning from abroad and opening businesses—with water, life has returned to Mahmudia. Locals make a living from fishing and tourism (accommodation, catering, boat tours), and 97% of them (according to a 2023 survey) want to keep the flooded area as it is, contrary to the interests of agricultural companies in the area.
More
Summary of the situation in Mahmudia-Carasuhat following the collapse of the dyke in 2023
Petition for water conservation in the Carasuhat area (Ro)
