Bio-Politics of the Danube Delta

Constantin Iordachi is an associate professor of history and co-director of Pasts, Inc. Center for Historical Studies at the Central European University, Budapest.Kristof Van Assche is an associate professor of planning, governance and development at the University of Alberta and visiting associate professor of strategic communication at Wageningen University.

The insights discovered in this book are bold and we are obligated to listen; they give voice to so many stories that have lacked a voice until now. Van Assche and Iordachi have brought together an extraordinary team of researchers who elevate our knowledge and understanding of this special place, the Danube Delta, and the many issues surrounding it. Now, we need to translate these insights into current and future planning. This volume offers us an enormous opportunity to make that happen.

• TABLE OF CONTENTSKristof Van Assche, Constantin Iordachi, – Nature, Culture and the Biopolitics of the Danube Delta I. PHYSICAL LANDSCAPEJenica Hanganu, Mihai Doroftei, Ion Sârbu, Nicolae Stefan – Physical Landscape: Distribution of the Vegetation within the Danube DeltaErika Schneider – The Impact of the Hydrological Regime on the Diversity of Natural Habitats in the Danube Delta Jenica Hanganu, Mihai Doroftei – The Importance of Danube Delta Reed Beds – for the Environment and for Use by HumansErika Schneider – The Danube Delta: Lessons Learned from Nature Restoration ProjectsII. HISTORICAL LANDSCAPENicolae Panin, Willem Overmars – Recent Development of the Danube Delta: Evaluation of Existing Cartographic DocumentsStefan Constantinescu – Various Approaches to the Danube Delta: From Maps to RealityIII. CULTURAL-POLITICAL LANDSCAPEPetruta Teampau, Kristof Van Assche – Pirates, Fish and Tourists. The Life of Post-Communist SulinaTanya Richardson – (In)Accessible Land: The Changing Practice and Regulation of Gardening in the Reed Beds of Ukraine’s Danube DeltaAlexander Prigarin – Fishing Traditions Among Old Believers in the Danube Delta: Survival Strategies during the 19th CenturyCosmina Timoce – Romanians and Lippovans in Sulina: Prismatic Identifications and Contexts for Generating Cultural ComparisonNatalia Serebriannikova – Traditional Medicine and its Evolution in Southern BessarabiaKristof Van Assche, Sandra Bell, Petruta Teampau – Birds, Fish and the Traumatic Nature of the Swamp: Concepts of Nature in Regards to the Romanian Danube DeltaIV. POLICY-PLANNING LANDSCAPEBart Schultz – Some Aspects of Water Management and land Reclamation in the Danube DeltaPaul Goriup, Natasha Goriup – The Evolution of Policies and Institutions for the Conservation of the Ukrainian Danube DeltaIulian Nichersu – Towards a Master plan: Support for Sustainable Development in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Joanne Vinke-de Kruijf, Hans Bressers, Denie Augustijn – Integrated Management of the Lower Danube River: Experiences with the Application of Dutch Policy Concepts and Interactive Planning Methods Kristof Van Assche, Martijn Duineveld, Raoul Beunen, Petruta Teampau – Circumscribing Locals: Transformations of Knowledge/ Power and the Governance of the Danube Delta