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Luxembourg/Ljubljana – The State Secretary at the Slovenian Ministry of Environment Uroš Vajgl supported the legislation on nature restoration at Monday’s meeting of EU Environment Ministers, as it addresses national specifics of member states and the interests of agriculture. Slovenia will start preparing the national plan for its implementation this year.
In doing so, it will need to identify specific measures and designate priority areas for restoration by 2030. It will be based on already adopted strategic national acts, explained the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy.
Measures to restore habitat types need to be introduced on approximately 14,000 to 15,850 hectares or about 0.8 percent of Slovenia’s territory by 2030. This includes riparian forests, mountainous coniferous forests, peat bog forests, grasslands, and other grazing habitats and riparian meadows.
“In Slovenia, due to the abandonment of farming and consequent overgrowth, especially in areas less suitable for intensive cultivation, we have lost many meadows and pastures in the past that are the habitat for some of the most endangered animal and plant species. For Slovenian agriculture and food production, it is particularly important to preserve the productive potential of agricultural land. By maintaining biodiversity, we also prevent overgrowth and thereby the long-term loss of productive potential of these lands,” they emphasized at the ministry.
On Monday, EU Environment Ministers finally confirmed the legislation on nature restoration, which, among other things, foresees that member states will adopt measures to rehabilitate at least 30 percent of land, coastal, freshwater, and marine habitats that are currently not in good condition by 2030. (June 17)