Bucegi Natural Park

The Bucegi Natural Park (Romanian: Parcul Natural Bucegi) is a protected area (natural park category V IUCN) situated in Romania, in the administrative territory of counties Brașov, Dâmbovița and Prahova.^[3]

Bucegi Natural Park
Parcul Natural Bucegi
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
The Bucegi Mountains (scenery)
Location within Romania
Location	Romania In the administrative territory of counties: Brașov Dâmbovița Prahova
Nearest city	Sinaia
Coordinates	45.377°N 25.445°E / 45.377; 25.445[1]
Area	32.663 hectares (80.71 acres)
Established	1974, declared in 2000
Website	www.bucegipark.ro

Location

The Natural Park is located in the south-central part of Romania, in the Bucegi Mountains of the Southern Carpathians.

Description

The Bucegi Natural Park with an area of 32.663 ha^[4] was declared a protected area by Law Number 5 of March 6, 2000 (published in Monitorul Oficial Number 152 of April 12, 2000)^[5] and represents a mountainous area (caves, pit caves, canyons, ridges, sinkholes, valleys, waterfalls, pastures and forests), that shelters a variety of flora and fauna. The park is famous for its Babele and Sphinx features.^[6]

Habitats

Beech forests, bushes, alpine limestone grasslands, alpine rivers and herbaceous vegetation, mountain hay meadows, springs, limestone rocky slopes and seminatural dry grasslands.

Natural reserves

Protected areas included in the park: Abruptul Mălăiești - Bucșoiu - Gaura (1.634 ha) and Locul fosilifer Vama Strunga in Brașov County;^[7] Cocora Cave and Cheile Urșilor (307 ha) in Dâmbovița County;^[8] and Abruptul Prahovean Bucegi (3.478 ha) and Colții lui Barbeș Mountains (1.513 ha) in Prahova County.