羅馬尼亞的原始森林將受到政府保護，且羅馬尼亞環境與森林部將與國際性保育組織世界自然基金會（WWF）一同鑑別、勘測和保護其原始森林。
兩個月之前，WWF發起拯救羅馬尼亞原始森林的行動，直到12月20日，該國環境與森林部部長Laszlo Borbely和WWF組織終於簽署了合作協議備忘錄，其中就有列出保護原始林的行動計畫。Borbely表示「這份合作協議代表我們承諾明年將會結束原始森林的勘測，並將原始森林劃分成一個不同分類，使原始森林可免於人類的破壞干擾。」
超過十萬個民眾簽署支持這項保育目標，幫助保護羅馬尼亞的原始森林。這些原始森林佔俄羅斯以外歐洲所有原始森林面積的56%。
Borbely談說到，「我為WWF發起這樣的運動感到高興，而且他們可以在這麼短的時間內取得十萬個簽名聯署。」
這份合作協議詳細地規定行動計劃來合法保護羅馬尼亞最重要和最珍貴的森林。
WWF多瑙河喀爾巴阡山計畫的森林專員Costel Bucur表示：「再過不久，羅馬尼亞原始森林的命運將掌握在專家的手中。我們真的有機會可以幫助政府，證明它們會實行必要的措施。」他提到，「真正保護原始森林的三個重要步驟包含，禁止人類干擾破壞、利用明確的標準立即鑑別劃分原始森林，以及確保私有森林地主的補償機制。」
為解決補償金的問題，環境與森林部以及WWF羅馬尼亞分會計畫要向歐盟執委會提案，將原始森林地主的賠償金支付列入2014到2020的計畫時程內。
短期內，環境與森林部和WWF羅馬尼亞分會將採用替代的財務機制，來補償原始森林地主保留樹木的損失。
依照合作約定，環境與森林部的代表每季將會與WWF檢視行動計劃協議的執行程度。
WWF羅馬尼亞分會將與專家一同參與起草立法文件、並規劃原始森林區域，提供此服務所需費用最少要十萬歐元。
「有了合作協議備忘錄，我們可以確保原始森林中一萬三千多個物種得到保護，或許最重要的是我們證明了一般民眾也可以改變我們國家。現今當局已經意識到社群的聲音。現在我們有理由可以慶祝，但從明天開始我們必須要團結一致持續行動，將注意力轉移到其他同樣重要的議題上。」WWF多瑙河喀爾巴阡山計畫的國土專員Magor Csibi表示。
所謂的原始或古森林，是指人類尚未進入活動的森林，也是地球上仍保有自然生態最原始狀態的最後處女地。這裡是複合的生態系統，許多種子苗、幼苗、成熟的和老的樹木，交錯生長在許多巨大、多年生的樹木之間。而死去的樹木和腐壞的木頭，則與活的樹木一樣重要，它們可以提供許多動植物居住的空間。
WWF在發表合作協議的聲明中提到：「原始森林是歐洲重要自然遺產的一部分，其中卻因為管理不當而損失許多。這些森林的科學、教育和環保價值都是無庸置疑的。」
Virgin forests in Romania will receive the status of protected areas and the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Forests will work with the global conservation organization WWF to identify, map and protect virgin forests.
These actions are specified in the Memorandum of Understanding signed Tuesday by the Minister of Environment and Forests Laszlo Borbely and WWF two months after the launch of WWF's campaign to save Romania's virgin forests.
"This protocol represents a commitment that next year we will finalize the mapping of virgin forests and include them in a different category, which would give them more protection, so that no human interventions will be permitted in these forests ever again," said Borbely.
More than 100,000 people signed a petition in support of the cause, helping put under protection Romania's virgin forests, which represent up to 65 percent of the virgin forests remaining in Europe, outside of Russia.
"I congratulate WWF for the campaign, for raising over 100,000 signatures in such a short time. This impressed us all," the minister said.
The agreement stipulates in detail what actions will be taken to ensure legal protection of Romania's most important and valuable forests.
"The fate of virgin forests in Romania is now, for a little while, in the hands of the experts. We have a real opportunity to help the authorities prove that they can implement the necessary measures beyond the statement," said Costel Bucur, forests coordinator of WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme in Romania.
"Three important steps need to be taken to speak of real protection of virgin forests - the prohibition of any human intervention, urgently identifying and mapping virgin forests, using clear criteria, and ensuring compensation payments for private forests owners," said Bucur.
To solve the problem of compensations, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and WWF Romania intends to submit a proposal to the European Commission to include compensation payments for virgin forests owners in the programming period 2014 - 2020.
In the short term, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and WWF Romania will identify alternative financial mechanisms to compensate the owners of virgin forests for leaving their trees standing.
According to the agreement, representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forests will meet with WWF quarterly to review the state of implementation of the protocol.
WWF Romania will participate with expertise in drafting legislative documents and mapping virgin forests, the cost of providing this service being a minimum of 100,000 euros.
"With this Memorandum of Understanding, we guarantee to obtain protection for the 13,000 living species in virgin forests and, perhaps more importantly, we prove that ordinary people can change our country. The authorities have today recognized the voice of the community," said Magor Csibi, country manager of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme in Romania.
"Right now, we have reasons to celebrate, but starting tomorrow we must continue to act as a united community, turning our attention to other issues, equally important," said Csibi.
Virgin or old growth forests are untouched by humans, the last places where nature survives in its pure state. They are complex systems where seedlings, young, mature and old trees are interspersed by large, old live trees.
Dead trees and decaying logs are just as important as the living trees, building up an environment that is home for many different plants and animals.
WWF said in a statment announcing the agreement, "Virgin forests are an important part of Europe's natural patrimony and were lost mostly due to bad management. Their scientific, educational, and ecological value is undisputed."
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
