Friday, 30 September 2022 UP Famnit takes part in the ReNature project for restoring wetlands and meadows
The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies is one of the partners in the ReNature project - restoration of the network of wetlands and meadows important for Natura 2000 and other protected species and habitat types in the Karst, the basin of Reka river and the Pivka intermittent lakes Nature Park.
In addition to UP Famnit, the Municipality of Pivka, the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) are participating in the project, whose leading partner is the Škocjan Caves Public Institute.
The Škocjan Caves Public Institute will, as part of ReNature, restore 8 wetlands and one vaulted spring, which is typical for the Brkini region. One of the most important activities of the leading partner is encouraging and organizing research work, as well as participating in it.
After this year's successful start of the implementation of the ReNature project in May, in the middle of the previous month, between 12 and 15 September 2022, the project partners met at an official event in the Škocjan Caves area. In addition to the organization of the partners' work, the event was also aimed at visiting the project areas and getting to know the wider area of Brkini, the valley of the Reka river, the Košana valley and the Pivka intermittent lakes Nature Park.
The €1,196,385.00 project will last two years, and its result will be the restoration of 45 ha of meadows and high-trunk orchards, as well as 8 wetlands and a well in the area of Brkini, Vremščica and the Košana valley. It is co-financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway with the resources of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Republic of Slovenia.
ReNature is implemented within the framework of the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation programme.
Purpose of the project and role of UP Famnit
We are losing grassland and wetland ecosystems very quickly. Since these areas are very effective carbon sinks and the habitat of Europe's important Nature 2000 animal and plant species, by restoring them in the ReNature project, we will contribute to mitigating the climate crisis and the crisis of biodiversity.
More than 10 ha of meadows in the area of Vremščica will be restored by the Faculty of Veterinary Faculty in cooperation with the Gabrče Agrarian Society, while the meadow areas in the Košana valley will be restored by the Municipality of Pivka.
In the project, UP Famnit researchers (Department for Biodiversity) in the field of biology, ecology and nature conservation and partners from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research will map and list the ecosystem services (human benefits from the local landscape and nature) provided by meadow and wetland ecosystems. These areas perform various functions that are important for the life of various plant and animal species and human activities. Due to climate change (drought, evaporation, erosion, cracks, damage to ruins ...) and changes in use and the introduction of invasive non-native species of plants and animals, we are losing them very quickly, so the awareness-raising and educational activities, that the partners will carry out until spring 2024, are a very important part of the plan.
Together with other partners, our researchers strive to preserve the cultural landscape and thus the identity of our area, and new knowledge and the exchange of experience is a good starting point for new research on the effects of measures to adapt to climate change.
