Legislation
The Decree on Nature Park (2001)
In Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, the following three basic aspects of land use interact: nature-conservational, cultural and economic, the latter embracing salt-making, tourism, recreation and other supplemental activities. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has adopted the Decree on Sečovlje Salina Nature Park with the intention of protecting the natural area and preserving the biodiversity of this typical salina ecosystem.
Ramsar Convention (1971)
Ramsar Convention (1971)
The Convention on protection of wetlands of international concern, particularly as habitat of aquatic birds (Ramsar Convention), was the first global agreement on protection and reasonable use of natural resources. The Convention serves as a framework for international cooperation in the sphere of protection and reasonable use of wetlands. The Ramsar Convention, or the Convention on wetlands of international concern, especially as habitat of aquatic birds, was adopted on January 2nd 1971 in the Persian town of Ramsar, its intention being »to preserve and reasonably use wetlands at the national level and to implement, through international cooperation, the principles of sustainable development«. The Ramsar Convention has been ratified by over 100 countries. Slovenia joined the Ramsar family in 1992, with the Sečovlje Salina inscribed on the List of wetlands of international concern in the ensuing year. The second Slovenian wetland inscribed on the above List is the system of underground wetlands in Škocjan Caves.
Directives for the protection of birds (1979)
The European Commission's guidelines have imposed on EU member states some severe legal obligations, including the one which stipulates that populations of wild birds are to be preserved within special protected areas. According to this directive, the Sečovlje Salina (or, to be more precise, the area of Fontanigge) has been proposed to be included in NATURA 2000, the network of special protected areas of European concern.
Habitat directives (1992)
The purpose of the European Commission's directives is to conserve biodiversity through protection of natural habitats of wild fauna species.
In accordance with these directives, the entire area of Sečovlje Salina (Lera and Fontanigge) has been proposed to be included in NATURA 2000, the network of special protected areas of European concern.
Natura 2000 network
The Sečovlje Salina fulfils the standards for the area to be proclaimed a special protected area of the NATURA 2000 network according to the regulations of the Directive on protection of natural habitats as well as wild fauna and flora species and of the Directive on protection of wild bird species. In spite of the guaranteed legal protection at the national level (the Decree of the Government of Slovenia on Nature Park) and the international legislation (stipulations of the Ramsar Convention), various ideas about encroachments upon the area of the Salina and/or its transformation can be detected in various (municipal and national) planning documents. For this very reason, proclamation of the NATURA 2000 area will be of utmost importance, given that the state is obliged to protect and suitably preserve this type of areas.
In comparison with the majority of other NATURA 2000 area in Slovenia, the special feature of Sečovlje Salina lies in the fact that this territory (with the exception of few plots of land) is wholly owned by the state. This means that the implementation of the LIFE project as well as protection orientations and regimes in the Salina are not hindered by the problems associated with private property. For this reason, too, the area of Sečovlje Salina could be well exploited for the promotion of certain issues of the NATURA 2000 concept, which are in other areas burdened with various limitations deriving from land ownership or understanding of the sustainable use concept.
The Sečovlje Salina plays an important role in the mosaic of other coastal wetlands scattered between the Venetian Lagoons in the west and the eastern Adriatic coast in the east, with some of them already included, or are still to be, in the NATURA 2000 network (e.g. the Soča Estuary, Škocjan Inlet, Stjuža Lagoon, etc.).
Barcelona Convention (1976)
Its original intention, i.e. to reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, has been upgraded with numerous regulations pertaining to this region. In 1982, the third regulation concerning special protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea was adopted which, however, was eventually upgraded with a new Regulation for special protected areas and biodiversity.
The main objective of special protected areas is to preserve:
• the characteristic types of suitably large coastal and marine ecosystems, in order to provide for their long-term capabilities for living and to preserve their biodiversity;
• habitats that are threatened to become extinct in their natural Mediterranean environments, or the areas of which have been reduced owing to their regression or substantially limited size;
• habitats with critical degree of survival for the particularly endangered or endemic animal and plant species;
• localities of special concern owing to their scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational values.
Directives for the protection of birds (1979)
The European Commission's guidelines have imposed on EU member states some severe legal obligations, including the one which stipulates that populations of wild birds are to be preserved within special protected areas. According to this directive, the Sečovlje Salina (or, to be more precise, the area of Fontanigge) has been proposed to be included in NATURA 2000, the network of special protected areas of European concern.
Habitat directives (1992)
The purpose of the European Commission's directives is to conserve biodiversity through protection of natural habitats of wild fauna species.
In accordance with these directives, the entire area of Sečovlje Salina (Lera and Fontanigge) has been proposed to be included in NATURA 2000, the network of special protected areas of European concern.
Natura 2000 network
The Sečovlje Salina fulfils the standards for the area to be proclaimed a special protected area of the NATURA 2000 network according to the regulations of the Directive on protection of natural habitats as well as wild fauna and flora species and of the Directive on protection of wild bird species. In spite of the guaranteed legal protection at the national level (the Decree of the Government of Slovenia on Nature Park) and the international legislation (stipulations of the Ramsar Convention), various ideas about encroachments upon the area of the Salina and/or its transformation can be detected in various (municipal and national) planning documents. For this very reason, proclamation of the NATURA 2000 area will be of utmost importance, given that the state is obliged to protect and suitably preserve this type of areas.
In comparison with the majority of other NATURA 2000 area in Slovenia, the special feature of Sečovlje Salina lies in the fact that this territory (with the exception of few plots of land) is wholly owned by the state. This means that the implementation of the LIFE project as well as protection orientations and regimes in the Salina are not hindered by the problems associated with private property. For this reason, too, the area of Sečovlje Salina could be well exploited for the promotion of certain issues of the NATURA 2000 concept, which are in other areas burdened with various limitations deriving from land ownership or understanding of the sustainable use concept.
The Sečovlje Salina plays an important role in the mosaic of other coastal wetlands scattered between the Venetian Lagoons in the west and the eastern Adriatic coast in the east, with some of them already included, or are still to be, in the NATURA 2000 network (e.g. the Soča Estuary, Škocjan Inlet, Stjuža Lagoon, etc.).
Barcelona Convention (1976)
Its original intention, i.e. to reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, has been upgraded with numerous regulations pertaining to this region. In 1982, the third regulation concerning special protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea was adopted which, however, was eventually upgraded with a new Regulation for special protected areas and biodiversity.
The main objective of special protected areas is to preserve:
• the characteristic types of suitably large coastal and marine ecosystems, in order to provide for their long-term capabilities for living and to preserve their biodiversity;
• habitats that are threatened to become extinct in their natural Mediterranean environments, or the areas of which have been reduced owing to their regression or substantially limited size;
• habitats with critical degree of survival for the particularly endangered or endemic animal and plant species;
• localities of special concern owing to their scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational values.