International Conference “Risk in Contemporary Economy” ISSN-L 2067-0532 ISSN online 2344-5386 XV th Edition, 2014, Galati, Romania, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati – Faculty of Economics and Business Administration 437 BIODIVERSITY OF SMALL WETLAND OF BRĂILA - FACTOR OF PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA GALATI-BRĂILA Mihaela-Carmen Muntean mihaela_c_muntean@yahoo.com Ludmila Daniela Manea manea_danielaludmila@yahoo.com Costel Nistor cos_nis@yahoo.com Rozalia Nistor rozalia.nistor@selir.com Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park, damp area of international interest is the latter natural sample left in free-flooding regime on the inferior Danube’s course, after having drained the former Interior Delta (Brăila Wetland and Ialomiţa Wetland), which currently preserving aquatic and terrestrial complexes ecosystems in a manner similar to the original. Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park represents a place of a rich biodiversity of animals and plants, many of them are protected by national and international laws. Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park is one of the few parks in Romania which benefited from an approved Management Plan, still before the establishment of its own administration. The average number of people visiting is about 25.000 visitors every year. The different types of tourism that visitors can practice here, represents one of the principal advantage of this zone, which determines the uniqueness of it. The Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park needs to gain routes or new tour packages that can attract more visitors, a good infrastructure and a protected environment. Keywords: tourism, Small Wetland of Brăila, tourism routes JEL Code: L83, O13 1. Introduction Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park is the last sample of the former Brăila Wetland. On an area of 241 km 2 , Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park preserves 10% of the former Interior Delta of the Danube, the former Wetland of Brăila and Ialomiţa, occupying in the "70s of last century 62,413 km 2 of wetland on the lower Danube compact between Silistra and Brăila. Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park extends over 62 km on the Lower Danube between Bridge Giurgeni - Vadu Oii (km 237 upstream) and the city of Brăila (km 175 downstream), the maximum rate of flooding. Remarkably, however, is that in terms of biodiversity, the park is the last sample and the least human influence in the former predeltaic Delta. It shows that more than 50% of the constituents of Small Wetland of Brăila are natural ecosystems, about 30% are semi-natural ecosystems and only 20% were fully affected by human intervention. Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park is home to a rich biodiversity of animals and plants, many protected by national and international laws. 207 species of birds found here a refuge for nesting, feeding and resting during migration periods. The alternation between periods of floods and droughts has made its mark and the representativeness mammals across Small Wetland of Brăila Natural Park. Although quite favorable conditions for feeding and breeding and adjacent areas of the park, where the water level allows and mammals prefer the park especially for breeding because here any pressure exerted on them is extremely low. In Small Wetland of Brăila occurred quantitative and qualitative deep changes. Embankments, drainage and deforestation, which began in 1960, reduce the amount of 6 times the wetland in Small Wetland of Brăila, from 149 000 ha to 26 000 ha of floodplain currently. Replacing brutal complexes owned by the exceptional biodiversity of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with large agricultural monocultures occupying 80% of the former dammed lake premises, was the first qualitative mutation rate. But nature was not left alone even in areas easily flooded hydrologic regime. A second major change,