With over 30 years of dedicated activity in biodiversity conservation, our organization is a national and international leader in protecting Romania’s aquatic ecosystems. Our team of recognized experts and scientists focuses on saving endangered fish species, restoring ecological balance, and preserving the natural heritage across 11 hydrographic basins, the Danube, the Danube Delta, and the Black Sea coastal region.

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We breed and study Romania’s native sturgeon species — Huso huso (beluga), Acipenser gueldenstaedtii (Russian sturgeon), A. stellatus (starry sturgeon), A. ruthenus (sterlet) — as well as the Siberian sturgeon (A. baerii). We are also leading efforts to conserve and repopulate the huchen (Hucho hucho), a critically endangered species, supported by the construction of specialized breeding stations and live feed systems, as well as long-term reintroduction programs in rivers such as the Bistrița Aurie, Mureș, and Vișeu.

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Our mission is monumental — to restore endangered fish populations in Romania over the next 50 to 100 years.

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Over more than 30 years of continuous work, our association has contributed daily to the training of zoologists, ecologists, and young researchers who now bring prestige to Romania. Many of them work in renowned institutions in the country or at universities and research centers across the EU, USA, Canada, and Australia. These include national research and development institutes (INCD), the Institute of Environmental Engineering in Bucharest, the Institute of Biology of the Romanian Academy, the Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, and the Faculty of Biology at Ovidius University in Constanța.

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We have presented our strategic ecological education projects to the School Inspectorate of Bucharest and to numerous schools across the country, where former members of our association now work as biology teachers. Through these initiatives, we aim to inspire and mentor passionate students who wish to become dedicated biologists, instilling a love for nature from an early age. We believe this passion is essential in shaping them as naturalists. We have also frequently supported high school and university teachers in guiding students, helping them turn their interest in biology and nature into concrete projects.

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Our mission is to cultivate love for nature among schoolchildren, preschoolers, students, and even older generations. We aim to educate them about the vulnerability of species and natural habitats, broadening their ecological and scientific horizons. In doing so, we raise awareness of Romania’s priceless wild natural heritage, especially its protected natural areas — scientific reserves, national parks, nature parks, landscape reserves, and Natura 2000 sites (SCI and SPA).

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The Aquaterra Ecological Society has attracted financial support from private Romanian companies. These resources have been wisely invested in the development of our scientific research base at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Bucharest, and in the organization of hundreds of scientific expeditions across Romania’s natural landscapes. These initiatives have been essential in training young specialists in biodiversity sciences, species and habitat conservation, and sustainable development.

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Our original approach to conservation successfully convinced national regulatory authorities — the Commission for Natural Monuments of the Romanian Academy and the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests — to declare the Vâlsan Valley a Scientific Reserve. This 10,000-hectare reserve was established to protect the Romanichthys valsanicola (asprey), an extremely rare fish species. For 32 years, we have dedicated ourselves to preserving this species. Since 2019, we are no longer working alone: we have established strong partnerships with the Alex Găvan Foundation for the Rescue of the Asprey and other organizations dedicated to the conservation of rare species in Romania and abroad.

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Over the past 16 years, with the help of Romanian sponsors and modest self-financed contributions from environmental consultancy contracts (we have been accredited since 1997 by the Ministry of Environment to conduct impact studies, strategic environmental assessments, and interim environmental reports), we have made significant progress toward building Romania’s first ichthyological and aquaculture research station dedicated to very rare wild fish species. Located in Plutonița, Suceava County, and operated by the Aquaterra Ecological Society, this is a unique project in the country. We call it “Noah’s Ark”, as it is designed for the future — to preserve and reproduce rare fish species for ecological reconstruction. At this station, fish are fed exclusively with live food (100% of their diet), to prepare them for reintroduction into the wild. The initiative aims to repopulate Romanian waters with sustainable populations of endangered fish species, such as huchen, asprey, sturgeons, and many others.