Full project title:
LIKE – Living on the Karst Edge
Duration:
September 1st 2017 – February 29th 2020
Total budget:
1.528.377,29 €
Association Biom budget:
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – 154.356,77 €
- Government of the Republic of Croatia, Office for Cooperation with NGOs – 19.067,60 €
- Own contribution – 8.171,83 €
Lead beneficiary:
Istra County, Administrative Department for Sustainable Development, Department for Nature and Environmental Protection
Project partners:
Zavod Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave, Association BIOM, Društvo za opazovanje in proučevanje ptic Slovenije, Univerza na Primorskem – Università del Litorale, Natural History Museum Rijeka, Public institution Natura Histrica, Mestna občina Koper – Comune città di Capodistria
Public institution “Nature Park Učka” i Croatian Environment and Nature Agency
Contact:
info@biom.hr
Project goals
Establish joint management and effective monitoring of Natura 2000 areas by applying innovative mechanisms for involving recreational users, volunteers and identified target groups in management systems. The aim of the project is to establish a management mechanism that reduces identified risks of biodiversity threats in order to enable and encourage visits to the project area by all users and stakeholders, and to ensure sustainable development of the area’s economic potential for the benefit of nature and the population.
Project summary
The project focuses on the karst edge area as a series of steep cliffs and limestone slopes where long-term interaction between man and nature has produced peculiar biological, cultural and aesthetic values. This area of rich natural resources is under the increasing pressure of visitors and other human activities due to its close proximity to densely populated Koper, Trieste and Opatija. The joint challenge is to establish preconditions for formal protection, to improve existing and develop joint management plans, develop monitoring programs for the most important habitats and species present on both sides of the border. The overall objective is to establish an effective management and monitoring mechanism of the N2000 area in order to reduce the pressures on biodiversity. Climbing is very popular in Slovenia and has started to take on mass proportions in Croatia which results in harming protected areas. Current mechanisms are not sufficient to regulate the conflict between locals, climbers and nature conservationists. Climbers and other recreational enthusiasts are nature lovers and the project will encourage their activities, but harmonize them with measures of protection. The project will result in cross-border mechanisms for sustainable management of the karst edge area, reducing pressures on biodiversity and ensuring the prerequisites for the establishment of formal protection. Results will mainly benefit the local population, but also all visitors to the area. In order to tackle these challenges, partners will follow an approach primarily focused on threats incurred by recreation. Many projects dealt with problems caused by abandoning the traditional use of space, but sports recreation was not considered in studying the preservation of species and habitat types. The system of joint N2000 area management and monitoring will be upgraded by citizen science.
Materials and publications
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