5. Administrative framing of the investment

5.1 C.A. Rosetti locality

Is located in Tulcea county, Dobrogea region, situated in the central-southern part of Letea, in the north-east of the Danube Delta and it includes 5 villages: C.A. Rosetti, Cardon, Letea, Periprava and Sfistofca.
The population (who is also formed of Russians and Ukrainians) have as main activities animal farming, fishing and agriculture. The locals have large gardens, with sandy soils, on which they cultivate grain, vegetables and vine. Everything is clean despite the poverty in the area, most of the houses being in ruin. Most houses have reed roofs, an excellent thermal isolator, and reed fences, each with flower gardens.
C.A. Rosetti locality is one of the most remote settlements in the Reservation. Excepting C.A. Rosetti village, all other four are connected to a watercourse: The climate here is continental, with hot summers, poor rainfall, not so hard winters, but with strong winds. The villages composing C.A. Rosetti locality have ethnic architecture. C.A. Rosetti locality occupies a 26,636 km total area, with a 1,256 population. It has 3 schools, 3 kindergartens, 710 houses.

The large majority of the workforce in C.A. Rosetti (84.15%) is orientated towards agriculture, forestry and animal farming. The grasslands and the farming lands are used for livestock and agriculture.
The Letea hill high wintering quality is well known, being at the origin of Romanian people establishing in these areas. The secondary activities are grain cultures and vine (the locals call their wine cudric ), hunting and fishing.
Transportation is the locals’ greatest burden. In winter time they are isolated because of the frost. A solution to solve this problem could be building a road between C.A. Rosetti and Sulina and a bridge over the Cardon canal, a project started in 1995, and completed in a 85% proportion.

1. The access to the locality is made on water but also on land, using the following routes:
a) DC2: Sulina–Cardon–C.A. Rosetti, paved road in acceptable condition with a 16 km total length, 8 km of which on the administrative territory of C.A. Rosetti;
b) DC3: C.A. Rosetti-Periprava, with a 15 km length. It is a dirty road in good condition. The connection with Tulcea, Periprava and Sulina is done with passengers ships.
c) DC4: Letea–C.A. Rosetti–Sfistofca with a 7 km length. The 4 km road sector between Letea and C.A. Rosetti was paved in 2006 with funds from the Rural Development Program (RDP) while the 3 km sector between C.A. Rosetti and Sfistofca is not paved but in a good condition. The street network of the locality is summing 22.2 km of dirty roads in an acceptable condition of which 4.8 km in C.A. Rosetti; 5.3 km in Letea; 7.2 km in Periprava; 2.6 km in Sfistofca and 0.3 km in Cardon village.
d) DJ 222D continues from Gardon village (which can be reached only by water) to C.A. Rosetti and from here on DC4, the connection road between Sfistofca and Letea and on DC3 towards Periprava.
2. The connection with Tulcea, Periprava and Sulina is made by passenger ships or by “Sageata” ship on the Sulina channel. From Bucharest (Romania’s capital) to Tulcea the means of transportation are: The connection between Tulcea and Sulina or Periprava is made only by water: – passenger ships (a longer but very attractive course): * Tulcea–Periprava-Tulcea (5h) , * Tulcea–Sulina-Tulcea (3h); – fast transport by “Sageata” ship on Tulcea–Sulina–Tulcea route (2.5h), on Sulina channel.

– European and national authorities’ interest in approving grants and subventions for different projects in fish farming, tourism and other area specific activities; – 50% discount for taxes and electricity; – subventions for naval transport according to Government Decision no. 535/2000; – reduced taxes and dues; – mobile and digital phone connection.

The tourist routes of this beautiful area are: – Sulina–Periprava, on Sulina–Cardon channel–Sfistofca channel–Periprava route; – Sulina–Periprava, on Cardon channel–Musura golf–Musura channel–Stambulul vechi channel–Chilia channel–Periprava route; – high land hikes, on the following routes: Letea village–C.A. Rosetti locality–Letea forest–Nebunu lake and back.

5.2 Letea village

Letea village (with 404 inhabitants and 155 homes) is situated on the sand cliff with the same name (fishermen village surrounded by small agricultural areas on which locals cultivate corn and vine), located south of Periprava village (on Chilia channel), on Letea hill, near the natural monument Letea forest which resembles a tropical forest, with silver oaks and lianas, elm trees, poplars, hawks, owls, wild ducks, white tail vultures and snakes. Letea forest (2,285 hectares wide) is surrounded by sand dunes where turtles, lizards and about 1,800 of insect species can be found. In this forest, on a sandy soil, species of trees that are normally not from the area flourish: the piled ash tree (a botany rarity ), the white and black oak tree (that can grow up to 25 m), alder tree, the white poplar and the black poplar, the white linden, etc.
Although the climate here is not Mediterranean, in Letea forest we can find creepers, such as lianas, among shrubs there are hawthorns, just like ropes covering the entire forest and also wild vine (vitis silvestris), tendril, hop. In spring time the forest resembles an immaculate rug made out of pearls (Convollaria majalis). The Letea-monument forest was also declared a reservation of the biosphere. Letea village is 23 km north-west of Sulina city, the connection between being assured by a paved road. The access to Periprava is done by water and from there by land, through C.A. Rosetti locality, on DC3-DC4 road.

5.3 Periprava village

Periprava village (with 320 inhabitants) is part of C.A. Rosetti locality, Tulcea county, and it is located 26 km away from Chilia, the northern channel of the Danube.
In between Chilia and Periprava the is a very rich fauna, the nest zone of the Danube Delta’s wild geese. We can also encounter small cormorants and black storks. Periprava is situated north from Letea hill, at about 100 km from Tulcea and 20 km from Sulina, the stop point of the passengers ships.
From Periprava there is the DC3 road to Sulina and Letea, passing through Cardon. The route by water is Sulmanca brook-Merhei lake-Matita lake. One of the authority’s priority in the Danube Delta is rehabilitating the canals, brooks and lakes by maintaining an optimal hydrological regime and by clearing the Sulina-Popina-Periprava channel, the area where our company investment is.

5.4 Cardon village

Cardon (30 inhabitants) is a small village part of C.A. Rosetti locality, situated in the south-eastern extremity of Letea hill, north of Musura golf, a fishermen settlement. From Sulina, a special built canal, along side the golf, makes the connection with the village, from which an 8 km paved road leads to the center of the locality.
Between Sulina and Cardon a new road was built, along the canal, that also makes the link with the village. Even though the 2006 flood damaged this road, it was eventually rebuilt.
The houses in the center of the village are separated by large areas, with water holes, swamps, cultivated lands or unproductive ones. The population here is descending, the village being almost empty, but some of the locals just don’t want to leave their homelands. Their activities are fishing and animal farming.
Recently, near the village, a hermitage was build for the inhabitants because there was no church in the area.