20 years (2001-2020) of GIS-based forest cover loss in the Natura 2000 sites of Dobruja Region, Romania

Forests are among the most valued, yet the most threatened biomes in the world; their management being a key issue of sustainability, as illustrated by the 15th Sustainable Development Goal (Life on Earth) set for 2030. In order to sustainably manage the forest ecosystems located in areas that were designated for nature protection and restoration – like the Natura 2000 (N2k) sites, knowledge related to forest cover loss is of interest, as it offers valuable clues regarding the intensity of forest management. This paper aims to explore the dynamics of forest cover loss in the N2k sites of Dobruja Region, Romania prior to their designation (2001-2007) and afterwards (2008-2014, 2015-2020), based on spatial data and GIS techniques. The forest cover loss registered during the aforementioned three time intervals was computed using the dataset provided by GLAD and Global Forest Watch. The relative forest cover loss, which represents the loss percentage in the total forest cover, was calculated by integrating the Forest Type data provided by Copernicus for 2018. In over a third (36.36%) of the considered sites, the forest cover loss steadily increased, regardless of the designation as a protected area. Also, 27.27% of the sites registered an increase of the parameter after the designation of the area as a N2k network component (2008-2014), followed by a decrease of the forest cover loss in 2015-2020. The same percentage is also applicable for the reversed pattern – initial decrease, followed by an increase of the forest cover loss. However, the relative cover loss was of low value, oscillating between 0.01% and 4.29%. Such findings may be used for formulating inferences on the efficiency of the N2k network, which is particularly important in the study area, as it includes the second largest and the best-preserved delta in Europe, as well as other high-value N2k sites.