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CNN World Report

Romanian Students Interact With Nature

Aired April 29, 2001 - 14:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SHIHAB RATTANSI, CNN ANCHOR: Romania is using public policy to protect its environment. The government is implementing new laws and imposing severe sanctions and stiff fines for companies that violate them.

ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: But the new strategy doesn't stop there. It includes a special police force to guard Romania's national parks and an environmental program for teenagers. We get details from Romanian Television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICOLAE MELINESCU, ROMANIAN TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The class of natural history proceed out in the open for a small group of children in a remote village on the Western border of Romania. This is part of the national park of the Iron Gates, the area where (UNINTELLIGIBLE) border from the neighboring Yugoslavia. Students learn about the unique environment here where the climate is milder and the vegetation has unique varieties of shrubs and flowers.

DOINA CIUCUR, ENVIRONMENTALIST (through translator): A lesson here in the heart of nature is extremely important for the children because they see nature in its splendor. They also learn how important it is to preserve this beauty and enjoy it without destroying it.

MELINESCU: Millions of years of ago, the mighty river shaped what is called the Boiling Pots, a passage not more than 1,000 feet wide. They tower over their winding waters, nature in all its glory displayed a fascinating landscape dotted with caves. The largest of them all was used as a defense fort in the 19th century. A rich and diverse vegetation clings to the side of rocks.

NICOLETA DRAGULA, STUDENT (through translator): I love this place. It's so quiet and beautiful.

MELINESCU: Here more than anywhere else, man's understanding of nature's chemistry is a guarantee for the survival of this ecosystem.

ELENA TUDOSE, TEACHER (through translator): Protection of nature means the protection of our very lives. After all, it is the basic element which connects people, and consequently, we have to preserve it. MELINESCU: In this impressive landscape where the 500 meter stool cliffs spring from the river, a very rare flower grows. With much effort and some cliff hanging, the camera got close to the wild tulip of the Iron Gates.

It was officially recorded in the beginning of the 16th century, and scientists say it is unique in the world. The yellow tulips grow in the cracks in the rocks, 40 to 400 meters above the water, in an area not larger than a soccer field, impossible to reach. Isolation is the only way this monument of nature can defend itself against extinction, even if it is officially protected by law report

This report was produced by Nicolae Melinescu from the Romanian TV for CNN WORLD REPORT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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