| Apuseni Natural Park | |
| Alt Name: | Parcul Natural Apuseni |
| Iucn Category: | V |
| Location: | Alba County Bihor County Cluj County |
| Nearest City: | Huedin |
| Map: | Romania |
| Coordinates: | 46.604°N 22.81°W |
| Established: | 2000, designation 1990 |
| Area: | 75784ha |
The Apuseni Natural Park (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Parcul Natural Apuseni) is a protected area (natural park category V IUCN) situated in Romania, in the administrative territory of counties Alba (28%), Bihor (32 %), and Cluj (40%).[1] [2]
The Natural Park is located in western Romania in the central-northern side of the Apuseni Mountains, comprising part of the Bihor Mountains to the south and to the north. It is situated on the administrative territory of 16 communes, which include 53 localities fully and 8 others partially. The Park features 3 resorts: Boga, Fântânele, and Vârtop.[2]
The Apuseni Natural Park with an area of [3] was declared natural protected area by the Law Number 5 of March 6, 2000 (published in the Monitorul Oficial of Romania, Number 152 of April 12, 2000)[4] and represents a mountainous area (mountain peaks, cirques, caves, valleys, karst areas, forests, and pastures), with flora and fauna specific to the Western Carpathians.
Natural reserves included in the park:
The surface waters of the Apuseni Natural Park belong to the hydrographic basins of the rivers:[7]
In the northern part of the park, there is the, a reservoir in the Gilău Mountains, built between 1970 and 1974. Located at an altitude of, the reservoir covers an area of and has a volume of 225e6m3250e6m3 of water. It was formed after the damming of the Someșul Cald downstream of its confluence with the Beliș stream; the dam has a height of and a length of . From the reservoir, the water is diverted through a tunnel to the turbines of the Mărișelu Hydroelectric Power Station.[7] [8]