Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

It is important to emphasize that as a country with only two million inhabitants and very limited resources, Slovenia has developed a stable and functioning system of nature protection [ ] 204 Safeguarding nature and national heritage In 1995, the Republic of Slovenia became actively involved in the Sofia Initiative for the Conservation of Bi- odiversity in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in 1996, it ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The implementation of the CBD in Slovenia was initially closely linked to the implementation of the Pan-European Strategy on Bio- logical and Landscape Diversity. After Slovenia joined the EU in 2004, that initiative became less important for the country. The two basic strategic doc- uments of biodiversity conservation in the Republic of Slovenia were the National Environmental Protection Programme (NEPP) and the Strategy for the Conservation of Biodiversity. The new NEPP which is currently in preparation will, inter alia, address all relevant global biodiversity conserva- tion goals and Agenda 2030 objectives. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafe- ty identifies biosafety as an important component in conserving biodiversity and regulates transboundary move- ments of living genetically modified organisms. Slovenia ratified the Cart- agena Protocol in 2002 and has since established a robust biosafety system with all the necessary infrastructure and decision making procedures. Since the CBD entered into force in Slovenia, its implementation has been focused primarily on the first two objectives: the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of its components through cooper- ation at all levels. It is important to emphasize that as a country with only two million inhabitants and very limited resources, Slovenia has developed a stable and functioning system of nature protection. It has central legislative and decision mak- ing institutions and local communi- ties which are supported by regional professional public services as well as non-governmental organizations acting in the public interest. Permanent protection of vulner- able species is a matter of particu- lar importance in Slovenia and is established by the Protection Act as a result of the political decision that the preservation of a part of nature is in the public interest due to its great conservation value. The protected areas are usually established by the government or the competent body of one or more local municipalities. National parks and other protected areas of national importance are established by the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. The presence of large carnivores — Eurasian lynx, wolf and brown bear — in Slovenia is a proof of preser- vation of sufficiently large areas that enable their existence. The popula- tion of bears is large and stable, pop- ulation of wolves is increasing, while the population of lynx, which was reintroduced in Slovenia in the 1970s, is very small and at risk. A repopula- tion project is currently under way. A mong the most distinctive features of Slovenia are its well-preserved natural resources, rich biodiversity and landscape diversity. Since the proclamation of independence of the Republic of Slovenia in 1991, a complex and well-functioning nature protection system has been established. The system is based on a constitutional provision which states that when acquiring and using any property, in addition to its economic and social function, its ecological function should also be taken into account. In 1999, the Nature Conservation Act introduced the basis for comprehensive conservation of biodiversity and established the protection of valuable natural features as national heritage. Today, around 14 per cent of Slovenia’s territory is in protected areas and 37 per cent is protected under Natura 2000. Brown bear Miha Krofel Slovenia