UNIBUC-ECO

PARTNER INFORMATION FORM

Institute full name:	University of Bucharest / Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability
Institute acronym:	UNIBUC-ECO
Institute profile:	UNIBUC-ECO – has been established and developed progressively at the University of Bucharest, as an institutional infrastructure able to promote transdisciplinary research and education programme in systems ecology and sustainable development. Since 2001 the Department has received officially the national recognition for Excellency in Research and Human Resources Development in the field of “Systems Ecology and Sustainability” and in 2002 received the UNESCO UNITWIN Award and the UNESCO recognition as Center of Excellency. The department has contributed to the development and implementation of basic and applied ecological research programmes and management plans on a variety of topics including: rehabilitation and reconstruction of landscapes for diffuse pollution control and biodiversity conservation in rural areas, nutrient control by landscape structures in agricultural environments, assessment of nutrient balance using material accounting in the Danube catchment, wetlands conservation and restoration; biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of resources; development of the decision making and decision support systems for balancing socio-economic and Natural Capital development in the lower Danube river system, ecological processes in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and in associated watershed, social analysis and conflict management; economic analysis of the ecosystem functions; ecological footprint assessment for local and national socio-economic systems, identification of the control parameters of the biodiversity dynamics and their role in the functioning of Romanian ecosystems, rural ecology and physical planning, development of management plans for protected areas, as well as social research relevant to the management of biodiversity, on the socio-economic drivers of biodiversity, the assessment of biodiversity and its change, the impact of the main drivers and pressures on biodiversity, the development of conservation options, public attitudes to conservation, and forecasting change in biodiversity, structure, functions and dynamics of ecosystems and their services. These topics were approached based on financial support from Ministry of RTD, National Council for University Research and EU-DG XII and DG XI.DSES-UNIBUC is playing an essential role for the development of national infrastructure for transdisciplinary and long term research on socio- ecological systems.
Website	http://eco.bio.unibuc.ro
Address	University of Bucharest Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability 91-95, Splaiul Independentei, Bucharest 050095 Romania Fax: +40 21 3181571
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Involved personnel

Name	Contact details	Key qualifications	Photo
Prof. Dr. Angheluta Vadineanu	Tel: + 40 21 3181571 Email: anvadi@bio.unibuc.ro	Professor, Head of department and the Holder of the UNESCO-Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnie at the UNIBUC. Research and management activities focused on: dynamics of the structure and productivity of Lower Danube River System; identification and management of the Romanian ecological network; structure and functioning of benthic communities; population dynamics and energy budget; energy flow and biogeochemical cycles in wetlands and terrestrial ecosystems; and more recently on social and economic valuation of Natural Capital as well as on the assessment of Ecological Footprint for local or national Socio-Economic Systems. He was or is member of several international scientific and advisory bodies (e.g. Scientific Committee of the European Center for Nature Conservation; Environmental Advisory Committee for EBRD). He also has been or is coordinating research and teaching teams involved in many EC-funded projects.
Prof. Dr. Geta Risnoveanu	Tel: + 40 21 318 1571 Email: risnoveanugeta@yahoo.ca	Professor at the UNIBUC-ECO. PhD in structure and productivity of freshwater ecosystems. Expertise in research on the dynamics of the structure and productivity of the Lower Danube River System as well as on river quality assessment and management, assessment of energy flow and biogeochemical cycles in freshwaters, dynamics and role of benthic communities, ecology of populations and more recently in socio-economic analysis, analyses of biodiversity conflicts and their management and reorganisation of rural space. Rich experience in teaching and training of human resources in the field of systems ecology and sustainability.
Mihaela Oprina-Pavelescu	Tel: + 40 21 3125279 Email: m.oprina@rdslink.ro	Soil scientist. Master in Ecology. Lecturer and researcher at UNIBUC. Expertise in agriculture and environment, identification of ecological structures and assessing their functions, assessing driving forces and their pressures and impact on rural systems, management of rural areas. Present field of interest: assessing the impact of different policies on rural development.
Dr. Nicoleta Adriana Geamana	Tel: + 40 21 3125279 Email: nicoleta_geamana@yahoo.com	Scientific researcher with a PhD in ecology. Specialized in the field of environmental education and communication. Doctoral studies in the field of education for sustainable development, mainly formal and informal education. She was involved in research projects, internationally or nationally, studying the social and educational aspects that are required for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development strategies.
Georgia Cosor	Tel: +40 21 3181571 Email: georgia_lavinia@yahoo.com	MSc student at UNIBUC. Present interest in GIS based model for the assessment of soil erosion.