In Alba County, the communes stretch along mountain valleys of the Muntele Mare range at altitudes of between 600 and 1,300 metres. The terrain is deeply fragmented and households are scattered across the slopes, reflecting the traditional way of life of the local moți communities.
In Bihor County, the communes occupy an intramontane basin opening westward towards the plains, ringed by mountains that rarely rise above 1,000–1,100 metres. The surrounding karst landscape is rich in caves, springs and plateaus, and the Padiș Plateau, within the Apuseni Natural Park, offers accessible terrain for grazing. A continental-moderate climate with high rainfall provides a reliable forage base for livestock, though it shortens the alpine grazing season and raises rural infrastructure costs. At the same time, the area is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Western Romanian Carpathians, renowned for its spectacular karst landscape and for holding some of Romania’s most remarkable speleological and glacial heritage sites.
Municipalities
Geographical size
Human population
Number of livestock farmers
Livestock farming systems
Large carnivore species
Bear population
Wolf population
Lynx population
SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT
The communes of the Apuseni Mountains rank among the lowest-income areas in the Western region, characterised by subsistence-level economies and a maximum dependence on CAP subsidies. With no urban centre or significant industrial base nearby, the local economy rests on animal husbandry, the exploitation of natural resources, trade, public services and small-scale local industry.
The five Bihor communes form a distinct geographical and cultural space from the Alba group. They represent a well-defined ethnographic entity, retaining a strong tradition of villages specialised in particular crafts.
Across the area, cultural identity is closely tied to animal husbandry, one of the oldest and most enduring occupations of the local population, shaped by the geographical and pedoclimatic conditions. Species raised include sheep, goats, oxen, cows, horses and pigs.
Tourism has emerged as the most dynamic economy sector in recent years. However, agrotourism remains underdeveloped relative to its potential, with accommodation and complementary services still fragmented and poorly promoted.
FARMING CONTEXT
Agriculture persists as a semi-subsistence activity, centred on small family farms that engage in cattle and sheep breeding, milk production, and the production of traditional dairy products. This structure faithfully reflects the pastoral vocation of the mountain landscape, where grasslands continue to be used, both within household settings and through common property arrangements.
Main Challenges:
- Farm fragmentation keeps production costs high and limits access to organised markets. The average farm remains below the break-even point for investments in their own processing facilities.
- Progressive abandonment of less productive land risks shrub invasion of grasslands and degradation of the forage base in the medium term.
- The Romanian livestock guarding dogs are increasingly being replaced by Kangal and Caucasian breeds, though the bond between shepherd and dogs remains strong and highly relevant.
- A lack of specialised shepherds has a significant impact on the farm size. Presently, most farms in the region remain family-owned and family-managed.
LOCAL CONFLICT ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE CARNIVORES
Number of attacks:
- The main conflicts between local farmers and large carnivores involve wolves and, to a lesser extent, by brown bears. There have been no official reports of lynx attacks in the study area.
- Between 2023-2025, brown bears were involved in 13 livestock predations, resulting in 20 cattle killed.
- Between 2023-2025, wolves were involved in five livestock predations, resulting in 59 sheep and 19 cattle killed.
Social conflict:
- Social conflicts relating to large carnivores are mostly rooted in a lack of trust in public institutions, politicians, and resource managers. The negative attitude towards large carnivores is amplified by a perceived absence of support from authorities following damage incidents, the direct experience of loss, and fear of bears and wolves.
- The existing protection framework is largely perceived as being associated with the restrictions imposed by the Apuseni Natural Park. This reinforces the idea that conservation measures oppose traditional practices.
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