Climate Sense

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Coping with drought in Slovenia

Drought Management Centre for Southeastern Europe

rought is a normal, recurrent feature of climate. It occurs

in virtually all climatic zones, although its characteristics

vary from region to region. One way inwhich drought differs

from other natural disasters is that it is difficult to ascertain onset

and duration because consequences accumulate slowly and over a

long period of time. However, drought phenomenon receives close

attention due to its impact on both economy and society.

Slovenia is situated in a region with favourable climate and rich water

resources. Agriculture, which is the sector most vulnerable to the

impact of drought, contributes only a few per cent of gross domestic

product. This is the ‘big picture’, but problems appear when one looks

at the details. Agriculture does not contribute a lot to the economy

from a financial perspective, but it keeps the countryside populated

and prevents migration to the cities. It supplies a basic income to many

socially underprivileged people, whilst also providing business and

job opportunities to more inventive farmers. Regardless of their back-

ground, farmers are among those that are most exposed to

unfavourable weather, including drought.

Many characteristics of drought occurrence in

Slovenia are shared with neighbouring countries in

the region. Southeastern Europe comprises Albania,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Hungary,

Montenegro, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and

Turkey. Frequent occurrences of drought impacts

reveal areas where natural resources are probably not

managed in a sustainable manner – at least not in the

warm season. Southeastern Europe is not affected as

severely as some parts of the world, but there is a long

history of drought in the region, and these events will

continue to occur in the future, possibly with increas-

ing impact, because of predicted climate change and

increasing climate variability.

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Drought is among the most harmful natural disasters. Parts of Europe are exposed to the risk, although it is not as severe as in regions with semi-arid climate.

Irrigation is among possible mitigation measures

Image: EARS