Protected Areas

Movile Cave is situated near the city of Mangalia, Constanța County, in southeastern Romania, a few kilometers from the Black Sea coast. It was discovered by Cristian Lascu in 1986, at the bottom of an artificial well dug for geological investigations. It is notable for its unique groundwater ecosystem, rich in hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia, but very poor in oxygen. Speleogenesis in this area was initiated at the end of the Miocene (5.5 million years ago) and continues today through the action of sulfuric acid resulting from the oxidation of sulfur in the lower part of the cave. Movile Cave was the first underground ecosystem based on chemosynthesis ever discovered.

Limanu Cave is a natural monument located in the southern part of Romania, not far from the village of Limanu, on the shores of Lake Mangalia. The protected area covers 1 hectare. Limanu is a labyrinthine cave with a length of approximately 4 km, of which 3.64 km were mapped in 1956 by a team of researchers from the "Emil Racovița" Institute of Speleology. It presents the specific morphology of caves developed in limestone, in what geologists call tabular structures. Historians believe that this cave was used by people for over 2000 years during times of war to hide from invading armies. Some sectors of the galleries feature sculptures. In such places, the traces of chisels are clearly visible. In addition, to prevent collapses, pillars and supporting walls were built from limestone blocks. Most of the cave has a very low ceiling, which requires crawling or walking bent over. Greek pottery and lamps have been discovered in a more accessible portion of the cave, likely evidence that the inhabitants of Callatys, nearly two millennia ago, carved altars to worship the god Mithra. The cave serves as a sanctuary for bats and a variety of troglodytic fauna.

The nature reserve was declared a protected area on November 30, 2004. It is located on 98 hectares on the Dobrogea Plateau. It is a wetland consisting of eutrophic marshes, peat bogs, sulfur springs, reeds and rushes. It is home to a wide variety of flora (halophilous, hygrophilous, mesohygrophilous species) and offers ideal conditions as a nesting habitat and breeding ground for several bird species. The natural area overlaps with the Natura 2000 site "Herghelia Marsh, Obanul Mare and Movile Cave". The marsh is of particular importance due to the presence of several species of migratory birds: the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the white egret (Egretta alba), the black heron (Chlidonias niger), the pied avocet (Recurvirostraons afronted white), the red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis), the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), the black-winged heron (Himantopus himantopus), the tern (Philomachus pugnax), the common tern (Sterna hirundo), the merganser (Mergus albellus), the purple heron (Ardea purpurea), the white-fronted pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus).