Balta Cilieni-Băilești

Balta Cilieni - Băilești is a protected area of ​​national interest, classified as an aquatic nature reserve according to the IUCN category IV. It is located in Dolj county, within the administrative territory of Băilești municipality.

This natural area is located in the Danube Plain, in the southwestern part of Dolj county, more precisely in the Băilești Plain, which is part of the southwestern Romanian Plain. It is located in the western part of Băilești, near the national road DN56 that connects the municipality of Craiova to the city of Calafat.

The reserve was designated as a protected area by Law no. 5 of March 6, 2000, which regulates the planning of the national territory with regard to protected areas. The area it covers is 47 hectares.

This protected area includes a lowland region located in the upper Balasan River floodplain and is composed of water meadows, floodplains, river terraces, meadow meadows, alluvial forests and reed beds. It is home to a flora and fauna characteristic of the Danube floodplain wetlands.

The natural habitats in this area include flowing waters, Pannonian salt marshes, Pannonian sand meadows, low-altitude meadows, as well as areas with forest vegetation consisting of red willow, osier and quaking aspen. These provide a suitable environment for the survival and feeding of many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

The flora is represented by trees such as the quaking aspen (Populus tremula), the white willow (Salix alba) and the red willow (Salix purpurea), but also by vegetation specific to wetlands, such as the reed (Typha) and the reed (Phragmites australis). Among the grasses, rare species are found such as the cosor (Ceratophyllum submersum), the pond iris (Iris pseudacorus), the water horn (Trapa natans), the water arrow (Sagittaria sagittifolia), the duckweed (Lemna minor), the annual grass (Poa annua) and the water pepper (Elatine triandra).

The fauna of this reserve is diversified, being mainly composed of birds and fish, such as the bream, the eel, the rudd, the rudd, the crucian carp, the tench and the carp. Mammals such as the weasel (Mustela nivalis), the water shrew (Neomys fodiens) and the mole (Talpa europaea) are also present, along with reptiles and amphibians such as the adder, water snake, lizard, Herman's turtle, yellow-bellied pond otter and green frog.

Bird species identified in the area include the great grebe (Gavia immer), the little gull (Larus minutus), the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus).

Sursa: ro.wikipedia.org