Key climate features to support biological diversity in a Natura 2000 site:
SPA Lower Olt Valley (Valea Oltului Inferior)

Monica Dumitrascu, Carmen-Sofia Dragota, Ines Grigorescu, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, Bucharest
Mihai Doroftei,  Danube Delta National Institute, Tulcea
Costin  Dumitraşcu, Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Geography, Bucharest

Abstract

Natura 2000 Network represents the main European Union mechanism to support biodiversity and nature conservation especially when discussing natural or semi-natural areas hosting vulnerable flora and fauna. These protection sites also stand for natural habitats of European interest relying on two European Union Directives: Habitats and Birds Directive.
The paper is aimed to assessing the key climatic features to support biological diversity in a Natura 2000 site: ROSPA0106 Lower Olt Valley (Valea Oltului Inferior), designated to protect bird species in accordance with the provisions of the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EEC).
The authors processed annual, monthly and daily climatic values (temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind) and parameters (dangerous climatic phenomena) from all the relevant meteorological stations in the study-area in order to draw up the key climatic parameters in relation to the requirements of the main bird species which are hosted by this Natura 2000 site. The main outcome of this paper resides in the complex assessment of the key climatic driving forces and their impact on the biological diversity and ecological balance of ROSPA0106 Lower Olt Valley (Valea Oltului Inferior).