Rights of Nature Tribunal

1. The treasures of
Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with
the RMGC project
By
Alexandra Postelnicu

2. “In the last 14 years,
I have been feeling pain and
indignation whenever I saw the
Romanian state institutions join
forces with RMGC at the expense
of the citizens' interest.....and at
the same time,
I felt ENTHUSIASM because I
followed the real values of life.
However hard is going to be, I will
continue to be 100% involved in
protecting my land and my
community!” Calin Capros
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

3. ROSIA MONTANA
It is the oldest
mining settlement
in Romania, with
approximately
1870 years of
documented
history.
(6 Feb 131 A.D.)
I
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

4. ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS
A sensational discovery in Rosia Montana was the unveiling
of an ancient mausoleum in Hop-Gauri area.
The double circular tomb is the only one discovered in
Romania from the period of Roman Dacia and it was very
well preserved.
Due to pressure from domestic and foreign archaeologists and
also from the local population, it was decided to preserve the
tomb in situ through a special program.
Aerial view during preventive
archeological excaCremation tomb
with stone ring - detailvations from
the cremation necropolis in Tarina
area (2004)
Cremation tomb with stone ring -
detail
25 wax tablets discovered in
1788 and 1855 in underground
galleries
Building with hypocaust from
Dealul Carpeni (2003)
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

5. ARCHITECTURE
The old town center of Rosia
Montana is on the list of heritage
areas due to age and specific
architecture of the houses. Here
we find the memorial houses of
some important people in the
history of Transylvania, like Simion
Balint, Iulia Faliciu and also
monuments built in honor of
important people (George Gritta).
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

6. NATURAL TREASURES
landforms
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project
NATURAL MONUMENTS
• Piatra Despicata - Rosia Montana township - 0,20
ha
• The Gap from Hoaca Urzicarului PN - Vartop village
- 1,00 ha
• Piatra Corbului - Rosia Montana township - 5,00
ha
• Detunata Goala - Bucium township - 24,00 ha
• Detunata Flocoasa - Bucium township - 5,00 ha
• Daffodil meadow from Negrileasa - Bucium
township - 5,00 ha
PIATRA CORBULUI PIATRA DESPICATA
DETUNATA GOALA
DAFFODIL
MEADOW
FROM NEGRILEASA

7. NATURAL TREASURES - flora
• The flower-rich meadows of the Rosia Montana area are a priceless ecological and cultural
national treasure.
• Similar meadows have disappeared over much of Europe. In the UK, this habitat has decreased by
more than 90% since 1945, and even in eastern Europe such semi-natural grasslands are under
increasing threat.
Anacamptis pyramidalis Gymnadenia conopseaPlatanthera bifolia Traunsteinera
globosa
• The grasslands especially,
and associated flushes
and mires, proved to be
species-rich.
• As well as a number of
rare and threatened
grassland plants and
communities, there are
recorded eight grassland
orchid species, of which
six are Red-listed as
Rare in Romania.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

8. NATURAL TREASURES - fauna
BAT SPECIES AND THEIR PROTECTION STATUS IN ROSIA MONTANA
A group of specialists from the Romanian Bat Protection Association (RBPA) conducted a field research
in mining galleries at Rosia Montana (9 to 11 September 2003), identifying nine species of bats. These
bats were caught with special nets, identified, weighed and released.
The huge underground systems of Rosia Montana and their surroundings offer shelter conducive to a
large number of bats. We believe that mining galleries are very important especially as winter shelter
for many endangered species of bats that inhabit the caves.
The lack of natural cavities in the region makes these mining galleries a unique shelter for bats.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

9. NATURAL TREASURES - caves
Since the mid-nineteenth century until 1921, Romania’s caves were known only by bio
speleological research undertaken, in Transylvania, mainly by Austrians and
Hungarians entomologists and, in Oltenia and Dobrogea, by the Romanian naturalist
Constantin Ionescu.
After Emil Racoviţă returned home, he put his expertise and reputation in the service
of the new Romanian university, which was being organized in Cluj. He founded here,
in 1920, the first institute of speleology in the world. Since then, the vast
underground exploration program launched since 1905 by the founder of bio
speleology continued in limestone regions of Romania and especially in Transylvania.
BEARS’S CAVE
SCARISOARA CAVE
FOCUL VIU CAVE
CASA ZMEULUI CAVE CETATILE PONORULUI
CAVE
FOCUL VIU CAVE
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

10. THE ROSIA MONTANA GOLD CORPORATION PROJECT
Short description of the project:
- The firm obtained a concession for an area of 4282 hectares, in Rosia Montana area
- The project would be the largest gold mining exploatation in Europe: extraction of an amount of
ca. 300 metric tons of gold and 1600 metric tons of silver.
- Open pit excavation technology, in four open pits, with an estimated area of 100 hectares
each ==> digging of more than 220 milions metric tones of crude ore.
- The residues will be accummulated in a open tailings pond, with a capacity of 250 milions
metric tones and an estimated area of ca. 100 hectares (600 hectares according to other
sources), behind a dam 180 meters high, built of steril rock.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

11. THE RISKS OF THE PROJECT
Economic and social aspects
• The project affects 38 % of the area of Rosia Montana town
(which has to be demolished for open pit exploitaion); an
estimated number of 1800 persons must be relocated. Also,
some 740 homes and several churches should be demolished
and their cemeteries moved.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

12. THE RISKS OF THE PROJECT:
Technological aspects
The technology used in the mining project is based upon the extraction of gold from the finely
ground ore by leaching with a solution of sodium cyanide. The use of a technology based upon
cyanide leaching seriously endangers the environment and the experience of the disaster in Baia
Mare is relevant. Similar accidents (ca. 30 only after year 2000!) have occurred in some other
countries: U.S.A. (1993 and 1998), Guyana (1995), Australia (1995), Philippines (1999). Of these,
72 % were due to tailing dam malfunctions, 14 % to pipe leaks and 14 % cyanide transport
accidents.
- Nobody can guaranty that such accidents will not be repeated, and afterwards the punishment of
the responsible persons will serve nothing.
- Cyanide is not the only danger; the tailings and the residual waters resulted from the
technological process present the risks of severe pollution also due to their content of toxic
heavy metals extracted from the ore, which are more persistent than cyanide and cannot be
neutralised !
- The technology for cyanide destruction recommended in the project, with sulfur dioxide (in
open air containers) itself introduces an additional potentially polluting agent.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

13. THE RISKS OF THE PROJECT:
Ecological and environment conservation aspects
- The open pit exploitation produces a significant degradation of the natural
environment, in fact a real mutilation of the landscape, leaving behind four huge
craters and massive deposits of sterile material.
- Also, there will be pollution of air, water and soil in the area, produced by the open
pit mining and the massive transportation with heavy equipment (e.g. 150 ton trucks) of
huge amounts of ore and sterile material.
- The destruction of the landscape typical for Western Carpathians (Muntii Apuseni)
anihilates the touristic potential of the area and eliminates the perspective of a
sustainable development in the zone on this basis, not only in Rosia Montana itself,
but also in its vicinity. A polluted area will not attract investments of any kind !
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

14. THE RISKS OF THE PROJECT:
Ecological and environment conservation aspects
– The explosions used in the technology of ore mining (five times a week)
provide the risks of vibrations and seismic waves which can negatively affect
the immediate vicinity of the exploitation, endangering some old constructions
and mining galleries, which may weaken and collapse.
– Serious risks also exist due to the possible leaks of residual water from the
tailing pond, infiltrations into the permeable ground, formation of hydrogen
cyanide (a very toxic gas) during the summer (especially under the influence of
acid rains). These risks are aggravated by the presence of some populated
localities (Campeni, Abrud) in the immediate vicinity.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

15. THE RISKS OF THE PROJECT:
Scientific archeological-histrorical aspects
The mining of the gold deposit would irremediably destroy most
of the archeologic site, which would be an unrecoverable loss and
would cancel any chance of establishing a zone of cultural
tourism, a long term economic solution.
The destruction of archeological vestiges of such a value would
be a cultural crime.
The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

16. The treasures of Rosia Montana and
the Struggle with the RMGC project

93. THANK YOU!
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+40724.270.951
www.pachamamaromania.ro
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