Both can be understood as natural capital of a certain area. Protected areas reach their goals through the regulation of human pressures on nature and thus implicitly influence the local devlopment and possibilities for the satisfaction of the local population's needs. On the presumption that protected areas at least partially carry out the task of preserving natural capital, the question is raised as to what impact they have on on the engagement of workforce or, in other words, on employment possibilities  in a certain area.

As any interventions into nature must be planned and implemented in such a manner that no damages are caused to nature, the stipulated orientations, backgrounds and conditions for the conservation of biodiversity and natural riches must be taken into consideration during physical planning, as shown in nature-conservancy guidelines. As to their contents and purpose, nature-conservancy guidelines correspond to the expert groundwork for the preparation of plans, i.e. by incorporating the entire sphere of nature conservation. During the preparation of nature-conservancy guidelines, certain contents stipulated by the Law on nature conservation were taken into consideration (general and special parts of nature-conservancy guidelines and  maps), which are graphically presented on four maps and  supplemented by textual part with conservationist orientations, guidelines, regimes and developmental orientations. The introductory part, on the other hand, includes analytical chapters on the key objectives and problems of nature conservation, on implementation of the current plan, as well as on the current state and trends in the area.

•    Nature conservation is an activity whose prime objective is conservation of biodiversity and natural riches. This double content was introduced by the Law on nature protection, by which the nature conservation activity extended the sphere of its functioning from just conservation of natural riches (formerly natural heritage) and from protected areas to to the entire nature protection, for the conservation of biodiversity encloses, apart from protection of animal and plant species, protection of habitat types, areas of ecological concern, special areas of conservation, and landscape.

•    The main objectives of nature conservation in Slovenia are: protection of natural riches and processes, reestablishment of damaged or destroyed natural riches, conservation of biodiversity (in situ and ex situ) at the levels of genes, species and ecosystems, toghether with the founding of protected areas and suitable collections, as well as conservation, development and reestablishment of landscape diversity. The key objective, however, associated with spatial plans, is inclusion of the measures for biodiversity conservation and protection of natural riches in the use and exploitation of natural riches as well as in the measures concerning the protection of cultural heritage. These objectives are reached mainly with the aid of direct and indirect measures, the results of which are spatial consequences, such as stipulation of natural riches, protection and founding of narrower and wider protected areas, restoration of damaged or destroyed riches, as well as stipulation of habitat types and areas of ecological concern and special areas of conservation.

•    The main nature conservation problems are those concerning general matters, such as little or almost no respect for nature-conservationist legislation and legislation for the sphere of planning and interventions into the environment, ineffective supervisory control, spatial interventions for which there are no legal grounds in current planning and implementation acts, and illegally built structures in protected areas, as well as those concerning organisational-financial matters, such as insufficient budgetary means and personnel in the sphere of nature conservation, high number of protected areas with no management and management plans, unsuitable system of financial reliefs and subsidies in protected areas, and insufficient cooperation between various sectors within protected areas.

•    Nature-conservationist control is a direct control in nature, attempting to ensure that the legal prohibitions and regulations issued for protected areas are respected. The control is carried out not only by inspectors but also by nature-conservationist supervisors employed by the area's manager. The efficiency of nature-conservationist superviors is verified by the competent ministry. The law enables a voluntary nature-conservationist control as well.