About the project

Slovenia belongs among areas with above-average biodiversity. It boasts great biodiversity in a small area, mainly due to the interplay of different types of climate, geological structure and large altitudinal differences, and is often also associated with traditional agricultural use. There are about 26,000 species on the territory of the country. The fact that this many species inhabit such a small area makes our country one of the naturally richest areas in Europe, and even worldwide.

However, the abundance of plant and animal species is decreasing, and some may even become extinct. The red list of endangered animals consists of 45% of the species, including more than four-fifths of all known species of amphibians and reptiles, and nearly half, i.e. 41 mammal species (ARSO).

In 1999, Slovenia adopted the Nature Conservation Act (ZON), which lays down biodiversity conservation measures regulating the protection of wildlife species, including their genetic material, habitats and ecosystems, enabling the sustainable use of biodiversity components, and ensuring the preservation of natural balance. Raising awareness about the importance of nature conservation is one of the key ways to achieve nature conservation goals, because only through everyone’s awareness about the shared responsibility towards nature, can we achieve concrete success in the field of nature conservation, which also contributes to the preservation of the marvels that can be marketed in tourism.

The purpose of the project is to offer visitors a walk in the nature with a focus on education about the type of habitat that they are visiting. We want to enthuse the tourists with the beauty of the nature and make them aware of the importance of protecting the nature and its inhabitants, as well as of the significance of coexisting with them in solidarity.

The project’s goals are the following:

• Design an integral tourism product in the leading destination of Novo mesto, the village of Prečna, in the immediate vicinity of the Temenica River, which will offer visitors a time spent in nature including education about the animals and plants living in the habitat of the type code 3260.

• In cooperation with the surrounding tourism providers, offer visitors a variety of experiences, accommodations, and cuisine.

• Provide access to the lifehabitats.com website and application, where visitors can read about the destination, habitat type, animals and plants, locate surrounding landmarks, read a blog, and participate in the contribution of their photos of birds and animals.

• To offer an e-guide with marked walking paths, which enables visitors to select the desired walking paths and navigate the habitat more easily.

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