Romanian geography reunited — the integrative approach demonstrated by the conservation movement

After a period of intense specialization, when the unity of geography was set aside in favour of separate development for the human and physical sections, Romanian geographers have reasserted an integrative approach. An important factor in the prevailing monist paradigm os the conservation movement, expressed in a concern for the protection of the environment. Great damage has undoubtedly been sustained after a century and more of intense exploitation, but government is ambivalent and remains reluctant to act decisively when there would be serious short-term implications for the development plan. But there is enough official interest in environmental protection for geographers to conduct a large-scale debate on ecological matters and elevate man-environment relations to a central position in both teaching and research.