Current State Overview of the Vama Veche - 2 Mai Marine Reserve, Black Sea, Romania

The Vama Veche - 2 Mai marine area is an almost unique combination at the Romanian coast, covering a wide variety of elementary habitats, the area being considered a true mosaic. The extremely rich benthic and pelagic life, expressed by the high biodiversity in the area, is a real milestone for the Romanian coast, being at the same time shelter and breeding area for many nektonic marine organisms. The National Institute for Marine Research and Development "Grigore Antipa" Constanta was custodian of the reserve in the period 2004 - 2009, during which an intense research activity was developed in the area, evidenced by the numerous scientific papers published, as well as the Management Plan and Regulation of the Reserve, completed and submitted for approval to the Ministry of Environment. Since December 2011, the Institute has again taken into custody the Vama Veche Reserve, for a period of five years. The paper herein is a brief scan of the current state of the protected area, based mainly on the research conducted there by the Institute, within many projects focusing on the quality of the Romanian marine environment.