Proposed Environmental Risk Management Elements in a Carpathian Valley Basin, within the Roşia Montană European Historical Mining Area

Abstract

Non-ferrous metals mining activities have long accompanied people, and began in the study area of South East Europe over 2000 years ago. The environment quality is significantly affected by both historic mining activities and contemporary impacts. All these problems, inducing synergic negative effects on local organism communities, have created a chronic state of pollution. The Corna Valley has one of the oldest historical human impacts in Romania due to the influence of mining. Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates have exhibited significant responses to long term mining effects on lotic systems. The analysis of macroinvertebrate communities, correlated with the lack of fish and some biotope characteristics, indicates that the Corna River presents a variety of categories of ecological status between sectors. The lack of fish reveals the poor ecological conditions. Technical and management solutions are proposed here to diminish the historical environmental problems and to avoid future ecological accidents, especially in an attempt to improve any construction plan concerning a possible new de-cyanidation dam and lake. Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates have exhibited significant responses to long term mining effects on lotic systems. Two management zones were identified, an upper zone which can be used as a reference area and a lower zone, where pollution remedial activities are proposed.

Bacterial Microbiomes in the Sediments of Lotic Systems Ecologic Drivers and Role: A Case Study from the Mureş River, Transylvania, Romania

“…The Mureş River watershed was chosen for this research for various reasons: among them, its relatively large area and significance within the Danube Basin [47], the relatively large and important human population existing in this area, including major urban areas [45,46,48], the resulting human impacts and related problems in this basin [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. These factors affect the diversity and the variability of environments over space and time and biocoenosis in the river and its watershed.…”

Algae and Cyanobacteria Diversity and Bioindication of Long-Term Changes in the Hula Nature Reserve, Israel

“…A comparison of the floras and bioindicators of the two Ramsar wetlands in Israel, the Hula Nature Reserve in the rift valley below sea level, and the Afek Nature Reserve [70] on the Mediterranean coast may also provide a direction for future research. The mechanism and criteria have been developed for the well-studied regions of the Mediterranean basin [71,72] in the context of climate aridization and anthropogenic transformation. Further areas of work may be the expansion of the use of bioindication in the monitoring of small water bodies in Israel for a better understanding of ecosystems' state and identification of potential objects of protection.…”

Spatial Variation of Water Chemistry in Aries River Catchment, Western Romania

“…Moreover, the groundwater resources in the Aries River catchment are mostly related to karst aquifers developed in limestones or fissured rocks, being part of local or discontinuous aquifers (southern part of the basin), while the northern area of the basin is characterized by formations with deep aquifers or without aquifers (Figure 1). The most significant exploitations conducted in the catchment area are Rosia Montana, Rosia Poieni, Baia de Aries and Iara (Table 1) [21,25,26]. Tailings resulting from the oRes.…”