OUR PURPOSE
The Carpathian Mountains form some of the largest contiguous forests on the continent with the highest percentage of still virgin woodlands; they contain an extraordinary high number of species, amongst them many autochthonous species; and they are home to the largest European populations of large carnivores.
Starting in 2005, formerly nationalised forests have been restituted to private people in Romania. This process triggered massive clear-cuts on these restituted lands and many thousands of hectares of forests were illegally logged, posing a severe threat to the integrity of the Carpathian ecosystem.
Wilderness is disappearing worldwide at an alarming rate. Less than 2% of Europe’s surface is still in its original state.
Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC) was founded in 2009 by 12 philanthropists and conservationists with the goal to stop this illegal logging, and to protect a significant surface of Carpathian forests in form of a completely protected area for future generations. This is done by purchasing land and leasing hunting rights for full protection of all natural elements with private and public money.
We intend to ultimately return our landholdings to the public domain for permanent protection in the form of a National Park.
OUR VISION
We aim to create a world-class wilderness reserve in the Southern Romanian Carpathians, large enough to support significant numbers of large carnivores and to allow evolutionary processes to happen. The project consists of the wider Făgăraș Mountains Natura 2000 site, Piatra Craiului National Park and Leaota Mountain and forms a total of over 250,000 ha.
FCC is involved in creating a new, non-destructive economy around the Făgăraș Mountains, for the benefit of biodiversity and local communities. Once the project is completed, this new National Park should be a world-class wilderness, an icon for conservation in Europe and an emblematic National Park on our continent.
OUR MISSION
The foundation shall contribute to the conservation and restoration of the natural Carpathian ecosystem, for the benefit of biodiversity and local communities, by acquiring, protecting and administrating forests and natural grasslands.