Day of Nature highlights collaboration and responsibility for well-preserved nature, Morigenos society receives Rado Smerdu Award

SLOVENIA, June 12 - The expert segment of the event featured a discussion on concrete examples of best practices and Slovenia's existing experiences in improving the state of nature. The discussion covered three topics: Natura 2000 cohesion projects, the restoration of nature in practice, and the coexistence of humans and nature.

Andrej Bibič, Head of the Biodiversity Division at the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning's Nature Directorate, presented accomplishments in nature conservation at Natura 2000 sites: "The key achievements include the integration of Natura 2000 species‑specific measures into the forest management planning system, securing approximately 20,000 ha of appropriate agricultural land use under the Common Agricultural Policy, and ensuring highly restrictive land use or land use countering current trends (e.g. overgrowth in south-eastern Slovenia) through cohesion policy projects and the LIFE programme on the area of approximately 2,400 ha." Bibič highlighted as particularly significant the fact that much of Slovenia's preserved nature is also made accessible to the public enjoyment and education through information centres and nature trails, especially where exemplary management is in place (from coastal and central Slovenian wetlands to the karst and Alpine Natura 2000 areas and parts of the Goričko region).

Cohesion projects bring together a wide range of professions and sectors – nature conservation experts, agricultural specialists, farmers, municipalities, and others – and strongly encourage communication, collaboration, and the search for shared solutions for the common good of nature and all of us.
Alenka Gorjan

European cohesion funds provide a substantial support for the conservation, improvement, and restoration of nature within the Natura 2000 area management framework. As Alenka Gorjan, the project manager of the ZaKras2 (in Slovenian) project in the Škocjan Caves Park, said, cohesion projects have opened a new chapter in the way how the park operates. "The biggest challenges in nature protection in the Karst region can now be addressed with the help of cohesion funds. Before, we could only address these challenges on a micro level within the core zone of the regional park and on very limited areas. Thanks to cohesion projects, the area of nature conservation has expanded to cover the entire Karst Natura 2000 area, enabling large areas to be saved," stressed Gorjan.

The LIFE-IP NATURA.SI project makes an important contribution to improving the state of nature. Maja Cipot, the project manager of the LIFE-IP Natura.si (in Slovenian) project at the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, said that the eight-year integrated project brings together 15 partners from different sectors – nature protection, agriculture, forestry, water management, science, and communication. The project aims to improve the management of Natura 2000 in Slovenia. It operates at the systemic level (through the drafting of the most important documents, sectors' cooperation, the provision of data) through the concrete restoration activities in the field, taking a strategic approach towards communication among all stakeholders who interact with Natura 2000 in the field. 

"The key element is also communication – both strategic communication with the public and internal communication within a partnership. We involved a facilitator in the process, run workshops, and developed a joint communication strategy. This helped align our understanding – sometimes even basic words such as 'nature', 'intensive/extensive' have different meanings for different people and sectors," stressed Cipot.

Nature restoration projects have also been carried out out of the immediate framework of the Nature 2000 Management Programme (in Slovenian). The most obvious examples are in degraded industrial and peri-urban areas where nature reserves have been established.

In the case of Škocjanski zatok, the degraded area was a lagoon that was filled with waste and polluted with municipal wastewater. In the case of the Ormož basins, the degraded site was an industrial facility, a wastewater treatment plant from a sugar factory in Ormož that ceased to operate together with the factory itself. The restoration of habitats and the return of life to these areas took place over several phases and through the implementation of several European projects, primarily under the LIFE programme and Interreg programmes. In this regard, both areas stand as living proof of the success of these programmes, which Europe is now abandoning.

According to Tilen Basle, Director of the DOPPS – BirdLife Slovenia (in Slovenian) society, "the ultimate driving force behind the renaturation efforts in the areas of Škocjanski zatok and Ormož basins was human enthusiasm. A relatively small group of people, armed with a vision, a great deal of courage and sheer perseverance, accomplished the impossible."

The discussion later touched on best practices in the management of large carnivores. A number of activities and projects have been implemented in Slovenia in this field over the years, ranging from lynx relocations to research and population monitoring, as well as proposals for the improved management of bears and wolves.

Slovenia has made a major leap forward from ensuring the mere survival of large carnivore populations to implementing active and science-based management. Looking ahead, the biggest challenge will no longer be "How many carnivores do we have?", but rather "How do we incorporate them into our landscape and society in a long-term sustainable way?".
Hubert Potočnik

Hubert Potočnik, a teaching assistant at the Department of Biology at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, noted that in recent decades Slovenia has developed one of the most comprehensive approaches towards large carnivore conservation in the European area. This approach seamlessly blends a long tradition of coexistence, science-based management, and intensive international collaboration. Among the key milestones is undoubtedly a successful conservation of all three indigenous species – brown bear, wolf, and lynx. 

Significant progress has been made in coexisting with large carnivores, particularly through the development and co-funding of preventive measures to mitigate damage. The use of electric fences, livestock guardian dogs, and other means of protection has become substantially more widespread, while a compensation system helps cushion the economic impact of losses. "At the same time public awareness and engagement activities have increased, which contributes to a better understanding of the role large carnivores have in the ecosystem. Nonetheless, the social aspect remains one of the most challenging elements of management, given that public views are frequently diverse and sometimes polarised," concluded Potočnik.

This point was also highlighted by Mateja Blažič, Head of the Division for Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning's Nature Directorate. In her view, the main challenge is to minimise societal polarisation when managing large carnivore populations. At present, the position opposing any intervention is gaining strength, while experts demonstrate and maintain that without such interventions, the management and long‑term survival of large carnivores in Slovenia is not possible. Large carnivores in Slovenia live in a cultural landscape that is inhabited by humans, too.

"Large carnivore management must also be based on social acceptability. The goal must be to reduce the human-wildlife conflicts and thereby improve the possibility of long-term conservation of carnivores. This involves damage prevention and compensation schemes, the provision of information, dialogue and stakeholder engagement, and interventions in populations when all legally prescribed conditions are met. Research and habitat conservation are equally vital."