Utilizing Volunteers to Save the Văcărești Wetlands

Since 2019, the Balkans has experienced a severe drought, which has accelerated water loss in Văcărești Nature Park, an urban wetland in Bucharest, Romania. In collaboration with Dan Bărbulescu and Nicoleta Marin of the Văcărești Nature Park Association (VNPA), this project evaluated options for water management techniques utilizing volunteers to aid the organization in addressing the park’s falling water levels. The team remotely completed VNPA member interviews, wetland specialist interviews, technical research, and a volunteer survey. These tasks contributed to a series of recommended solutions to the VNPA that include crowdsourcing monitoring data, clearing vegetation, rain gardens, digging wells, and topographical and hydrogeological studies to address the falling water levels.