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GEO-TOURISM IN THE NATIONAL PARK LOWER DNIESTER (MOLDOVA)

Natalia GURANDA, Executive Director PA EcoContact

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Short about us

EcoContact – registered in 2010
Areas: Legal framework, Environmental Assessment, Environmental Mainstreaming, DRR and Climate Change, Green Economy, Waste and Obsolete Pesticides, Management of Chemical Substances, Protected Areas and its management.

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Lower Dniester National Park.

Sincer 1991, appeared the idea to create in the Lower Dniester Ramsar site the National Park that will cover 13 villages. The idea was proted by many CSOs and individuals but have been realized in 2022.

Two NGOs EcoContact and Biotica, worked for the last 4,5 years to the realization of such accomplishment. The work done was both: legal approximation and elaboration, and biodiversity preservation activities.

Now, the harder work continue administration, promotion, tourism, preservation and acceptance.

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Promotion of Tourism in area

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Geology

Spring with mineral waters in Slobozia. This region is part of the Sarmatian Sea, therefore the geological substratum is salty, and mineral waters are quite widespread
The area includes three paleontological sites of late Miocene fossil fauna

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Albu's Ravine

natural monument of geological or paleontological type. Located in Ciobirciu village, Stefan Voda district. Discovered in 1909, it contains several lithostratigraphic levels– clays, sands and gravels. The lower part of the deposits houses many vertebrate bones, in total approx. 24 species

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Ravine from Purcari

It is located on the right bank of the Dniester, 1.9 km from it, and has approximate 5 ha. At the base of the geological outcrop in the Purcari ravine are Khersonian formations with shell fragments of Mactra bulgarica and, more rarely, Unio. The formations are covered by Meotian sands with Hyparion remains. Above that is a layer of yellow sand, then a layer of clay and Pontian limestone. A layer of reddish Etulian clays, rarely found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, emerges on the surface.

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Stone Ravine

It is located in the northwestern part of Tudora village, on the right bank of the Dniester river, 190 m from it, and is the easternmost protected area of this type in the country. It has an area of 2 ha or 7.27 ha according to more recent assessments. The paleontological site is a landmark of the Hyparion fauna of the upper Meotian of Bessarabia. It is of interest to geologists, palaeontologists and paleogeographers and has instructive value

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With an impressive number of plant and animal species, the Lower Dniester is the protected area with the greatest biodiversity in the Republic of Moldova. This is due to the diversity of the natural conditions of the strongly meandering river, as well as the heterogeneity of the territory. Natural and semi-natural biotopes count 22 types and include aquatic, meadow and hill forest biotopes, steppe, etc. The centuries-old poplar forests, almost completely extinct in Europe, harbor protected species of bats. Meadow ash forests are an ecosystem of pan-European importance, and tall grass meadows are deficient ecosystems in the region. Here too, small fragments of meadows and steppe have been preserved.