Who are we
The Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy is a public research institution dealing with earthquake occurrence, natural hazards and risk, monitoring the geophysical fields of the Earth, modelling the thermo-mechanical evolution of the Earth’s crust, the geodynamic evolution of the Romanian territory and the impact that the heliosphere processes (the Sun) have on the geomagnetic field of the Earth. For this project, the Institute employs its specialists from the Natural Hazards and Risk Department, one of the very few professional structures in Romania that is qualified for natural hazard and risk assessment. Geo-Team, the professional group responsible for the development and implementation of this project is also part of the Institute’s team, forming a new interdisciplinary branch and the management body of GeoSust. The Institute’s team will focus on natural hazards and risk evaluation and will perform geological and geophysical field work in order to identify landscape evolution and associated threats. Through its interdisciplinary branch (Geo-Team), the Institute will actively participate in anthropological, botanical and economic studies, in geoheritage audit and in the development of the Geopark Management Plan.
University of Bucharest (Romania) is one of the leading institutions of higher education in Romania. The University has coordinated the grass roots activities for the development of Hațeg Country Dinosaurs Geopark, which became member of the European Geoparks Network and UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in 2005. The University of Bucharest is in charge with the management of Hateg Country Dinosaurs Geopark, being the only university in Romania managing a natural park. In addition, some of the team members are providing assistance and support for other Geopark initiatives: Buzău Land, Perşani and Anina. Buzău Land Geopark is an initiative that was actually started by the University of Bucharest in 2007, through its current team leader, and fostered since then. Two of the team members are working with PROPARK Foundation, Romanian Association of Ecotourism and with natural and national park administrations, for research and educational projects in nature conservation and geo-tourism development. The role in this partnership is for field research in: geodiversity mapping, geodiversity evaluation and audit, identification and field survey for plants and habitats, GIS platform development, on participatory development process of key stakeholders, on community perception regarding the utility and validity of the results and in coordinating the development of the Geopark Management Plan for Buzău Land.
National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-ecology (Geoecomar, Romania) is a governmental research-development institute, coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research. The main activities deal with the marine, deltaic and fluvial environmental and geo-ecological studies regarding ecosystems as well as the environmental impact of anthropogenic structures. Since 2010, the institute is curator of the three NATURA2000 Marine sites located in front of the Romanian sea coast. Geoecomar is the only institution in Romania habilitated in ecological studies on land, river and lacustrine systems, as well as on sea, working on fossil and actual sedimentary systems alike. The institute provides analysis on gas greenhouse emissions. Regarding this project, Geoecomar will perform geological field work in the marine sedimentary formations of Buzău Land, will develop geological maps to be integrated with natural hazard and risk maps and will actively participate in the natural hazard assessment through geological and geophysical field work. An important contribution will be in identifying suitable geo-ecological indicators and in participating in the development of the Geopark Management Plan.
Telemarksforsking (Norway) is an independent research institute with projects throughout Norway as well as internationally. The institute is highly competitive in five academic areas: (i) Cultural policy research; (ii) Rural, cultural and economic development; (iii) Research on regional attractiveness; (iv) Local public finance and organization; and (v) Health and welfare studies. The institute follows the philosophy that “knowledge must foster progress” and provides applied research by combining practice-oriented knowledge with high scientific quality, the results being utilized by society. Telemarksforsking is co-initiator of a new academic field called landscape economy, that studies the interplay between nature, culture and people in given areas, such as Geoparks, and combines both economy and sustainability. It has also developed an innovative system for documentation called broad value creation, which looks at the mutual reinforcement of economic, social, cultural and environmental values, useful for predicting the long-term effects and outcomes of development processes. In this project, Telemarksforsking will conduct field surveys in Buzău Land in order to identify stakeholders, elements of strategic economic importance and attractors of interest in regional attractiveness. The acquired data will be used to develop a plan for broad value creation, in order to advance sustainable economic strategies based on natural and cultural heritage, and to recommend products with market potential. Moreover, it will use its experience and networks to compare the situation from Buzău Land to that of Gea Norvegica Geopark, and to explore strategies that can be exchanged. It will be an active partner in the development of the Geopark Management.
Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania) is an academic institution focused on advanced research. The experts employed in this project are part of the Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, which was established in 2002 in order to comprise in a single coherent structure different environmental education sections, by bringing together specialists from physics, chemistry, geology, biology and ecology fields. The specialists are focusing on radon and radium measurement techniques, the effect of radon exposure on general population and the analysis of inorganic and organic pollutants. The main tasks the University has been attributed during this project consist of performing radon and radium measurements in water, performing radon measurements in soil, analyzing the radon activity in indoor environments, determining the physicochemical parameters of water samples and analyzing and monitoring the major dissolved ions and heavy metals of water samples. An important contribution will be in the development of natural hazard maps and in the development of the Geopark Management Plan.
Norges miljØ- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU, Norway) brings for this project specialists from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning. The mission of the department is to educate graduates with strategic planning expertise and to perform studies at the intersection of landscape management, local development and sustainable value creation and place development. Relevant ongoing research activities are local management models of protected areas and other valuable landscapes/regional parks, including cultural landscape models and nature based tourism and national parks. The University has collaborated with Telemarksforsking in developing the fields of landscape economy and its method of analysis. During this project, the team from NMBU will closely collaborate with the other partners, in order to characterize the cultural and rural landscape of Buzău Land, to identify elements, areas and activities of economic importance and to perform landscape analysis surveys. NMBU will have a main role in developing sustainable economic strategies for Buzău Land and will be an active participant in the development of the Geopark Management Plan.
The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Romania) is composed of a Museology Department and a Research Department, concerned with anthropological studies. The goal of the research department is to investigate the peasant life of the old times, but a major interest is focused on the contemporary heritage and social phenomena from rural area, on the dynamics of the contemporary peasant art, the dynamics of customs, the study of legends and how they are adapted to contemporary reality. The researchers employed by the Museum have a vast experience in the study of intangible heritage and its market potential. The study of local traditions is of prior interest, especially the study of the dynamics of customs and beliefs and traditional ecology. During this project, the Museum’s team will be responsible for anthropological and ethnological field surveys, for identifying elements of heritage related to the natural environment, for identifying tangible and intangible heritage with market potential and for advancing models concerning the way in which the natural environment has inspired the human imaginary. An important contribution will be the participation in the development of the Geopark Management Plan.