The end of the primeval forests in Europe

There are not many primeval forests left on the European continent. Anyone looking for the last remaining primeval forests usually looks first to Romania. The Carpathians, the arc-shaped high mountains that stretch across Romania, were known for having the largest primeval forests in Europe.

But it is precisely there that illegal deforestation is advancing.

Vertical52 has now tested tracking deforestation using the NDVI, or Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. We present the initial results here.

In April 2024, following research, the organization Greenpeace CEE accused furniture giant IKEA of being at least indirectly involved in deforestation. At the time, they had tracked the entire supply chain, from the site of deforestation to the timber yards, and found that at least seven different IKEA suppliers in Romania had been involved in the deforestation of primeval forests or the destruction of other areas of conservation value.

For its research, Greenpeace CEE visited primeval forests in Romania “where the average age of the trees was between 120 and 180 years” (Greenpeace). They found evidence of systematic destruction. Two of the forests were Natura 2000 protected areas.

Natura 2000

Romania's primeval and natural forests are an irreplaceable natural heritage and an important biotope for a wide variety of species. Many of these areas are therefore part of the EU's Natura 2000 network of protected areas. They are to be given special protection from human intervention in order to preserve natural, contiguous habitats.

The areas in question are often difficult to reach and too large to allow for constant on-site monitoring. In 2023, the environmental organizations EuroNatur, Client Earth, and Agent Green conducted on-site investigations on foot and with drones. This also provided evidence of commercial deforestation of primary and primeval forests in the Maramures Mountains, specifically in the Repedea Valley.

NDVI-Analysis

We then attempted to conduct the analysis on a larger scale and in a more resource-efficient manner using satellite images. To do this, we searched for images from the Sentinel-2 satellite from different years. In order to make the years comparable and to ensure that the foliage was fully developed, we limited ourselves to the month of June. In the Repedea Valley, the analysis using NDVI shows the severe impact on the forest.

The lighter areas show regions with a decline in vegetation and thus in the vitality of the forest. For the study area marked in red, we were able to show that the area that was still colored dark green in 2019 shows strong signs of clear-cutting four years later, in 2023.

The publication of the report on deforestation activities in various Natura 2000 protected areas gave rise to hopes for improvement. However, looking at the area shown above in the Repedea Valley for the period from 2023 onwards, a different impression emerges.

On the northern slope of the river valley, light lines appear for the year 2025, which could indicate the construction of new forest roads. In addition, new light areas appear, which could be indications of current deforestation.

Government approvals

In many cases, government permits have even been issued for large-scale clear-cutting, the use of heavy machinery, and the removal of felled trees. However, these permits are often only published in incomplete form, and in most cases no environmental impact assessments have been carried out. As a result, several areas are now the subject of infringement proceedings by the European Commission. One of these areas is the Maramures Mountains in northern Romania mentioned above.

If you are interested in conducting research on deforestation in Romania and its consequences for the remaining virgin forest in Europe, please contact us.

We will be happy to assist you with the analysis and provide satellite images and further analyses.

Read the Nature Crime Files - Romania from Greenpeace

Read the Investigation of Romanian forests in Natura 2000 sites from Agent Green and EuroNatur