Razelm-Sinoe Black sea Lagoon in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve

The Razim Sinoe Lagoon is part of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve ROSCI0065 (North Long 44º 54' 6''; East Lat 28º 55' 19''). The Danube Delta has a surface of 5.640 km2, the second largest delta in Europe. The surface that is included in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (D.D.B.R.) is of 4.178 km2, only 3.446 km2 of which are on Romanian territory.

The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, shared with Romania and Ukraine. The Danube Delta is the largest European wetland. The area is particularly well known for the abundance of birdlife: 312 important bird species are present in the Delta, which is an important stopover and breeding area for many bird species.

About 90 fish species are fond here, including populations of sturgeon. It is also one of the last refuges for the European mink, the wildcat, the freshwater otter and the globally threatened monk seal. The biosphere reserve was declared as both Natural World Heritage and Ramsar site in 1991.

The Danube Delta has the third ecological significance among the 300 UNESCO reserves in the world. Through UNESCO resolution/.1999, the Danube Delta reserve received the international certificate of Biosphere Reserve. Due to its international importance, the Danube Delta was listed (1990) among the world network of biosphere reserves under the ¿Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB)¿. Under the RAMSAR Convention, to which Romania is a party since 1991, the DDBR was singled out as wetland of international value, and major water bird habitat.

Since the Danube Delta and the Biosphere Reserve (covering over 50% of its surface area) belong to the world heritage, the area was placed (1990) on the List of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR) was founded by Government Decision No. 983/1990 and by the Law No. 82/1993. It covers 5,800 km2 encompassing, beside the delta proper, also the Razelm ¿ Sinoie Lagoons, the coastal marine waters up to the 20th m isobaths adjacent to the deltaic and lagoon front, the Danube floodplain upstream the delta to Isaccea, and the Danube channel-bed up to the Ukrainian border. In this area, three categories of functional zones are distinguished:

• core areas (506.0 km2)
• buffer areas (2,233 km2)
• economic areas and their localities (3,061 km2)

The Biosphere Reserve concept does not exclude human activity provided; it is integrated with environment, so that economic actions fall in line with conservation and protection measures.

Most of the lagoon was originally occupied by the sea and has became isolated from the sea by sand bars and dunes resulting from the deposition of sediments and created favourable conditions to form the new shores of Razim Sinoe Lagoon.

Following interactions between Sea /Danube and the formation of the Delta Danube the area have been beaked up in many other independent lakes. Razim unit consists in:

• Razelm Lake (41500 ha)
• Golovita Lake (11800 ha)
• Zmeica Lake (5550 ha)
• Babadag lake (2370 ha) (with two components Tauc Lake and Topraichioi Lake)
• Sarichioi-Sarnasuf-(lake 2070 ha)
• Cosnei lake (3550 ha)

The most important lake, Razim Lake has an area of 415 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 3,5 m. Razelm Sinoe Lagoon is connected with Saint George and Dunavat Dranov channels, where receives a contribution coming from the Danube. Sinoe unit consists in:

• Sinoe Lake (17159 ha and a maximum depth of 2, 5 m)
• Nuntasi Lake (1050 ha)
• Istria Lake (560 ha)
• Edighiol Lake (1070 ha)

The Sinoe Lake almost completely isolated from the Lagoon, the Black Sea is now only two points: Periboina and the Grindul Chituc channel.

A complete description of The Razim-Sinoe Lagoon can be seen here.