Expanding its focus, the Văcărești organization transforms into the Bucharest Natural Park Association
The Bucharest Natural Park Association (APNB), formerly known as the Văcărești Natural Park Association, has broadened its mission to safeguard and promote nature across the entire capital city of Bucharest. This rebranding reflects the APNB's broader goal of creating a city-wide network of natural areas aimed at improving urban quality of life, public health, and ecological resilience with sustainable solutions.
The association's flagship project, the transformation of the abandoned Văcărești Delta into Romania's first urban natural park, has been a significant success. Over the past decade, it has energized more than 5,000 volunteers, planted 11,000 trees, and connected with thousands through education and partnerships.
The APNB's latest initiative, called "Rewilding Bucharest", targets five additional ecologically valuable urban areas for conservation and ecological restoration. These include Petricani Meadow, Băneasa Forest, Saulei Valley, the Dâmbovița River floodplain, and the reedbeds of Dobroești. This program focuses on cleaning, protecting, and rewilding these sites to create a connected green infrastructure across Bucharest, promoting urban biodiversity and green spaces accessible to the public.
Through these efforts, the APNB aims to secure legal protection for these areas and expand the total accessible green space to about seven square kilometers. This contribution will significantly enhance Bucharest's ecological network.
Dan Bărbulescu, the executive director of APNB, stated that the new identity reflects the association's expanded role and ongoing initiatives to protect, conserve, and promote urban nature in Bucharest. The APNB has led over two dozen major projects, mobilized over 5,000 volunteers and 150 urban rangers, and hosted educational events reaching over 10,000 participants and three million indirect beneficiaries.
These ecological reconstructions by the APNB are designed to attract pollinators, clean air and soil, and transform derelict lots into thriving green corridors with environmental and social benefits. As part of its new identity, the APNB has adopted a butterfly as its visual symbol, representing the fragility of urban nature and the transformation of green-blue spaces into a living, interconnected network.
For more information, Irina Marica can be contacted at the provided website. The Văcărești Natural Park, with its 183 hectares and rich biodiversity, remains a symbol of cities reconnecting with nature.
[1] Information sourced from the Bucharest Natural Park Association's official website.
- The Bucharest Natural Park Association (APNB) aims to expand its influence beyond the Văcărești Natural Park, promoting urban nature and sustainable living across the entire city.
- Apart from the Văcărești Delta project, the APNB is also focusing on rewilding five more ecologically valuable urban areas, contributing to a city-wide network of green spaces.
- The APNB's projects, including the transformation of derelict lots and the protection of green spaces, not only serve environmental purposes but also aim to improve urban quality of life and public health.
