The European Natura 2000 Award recognizes excellence in the management of Natura 2000 sites and highlights the importance of this network in conserving nature for local communities and the economy of the European Union. The finalists represent the best initiatives for protecting the EU’s valuable biodiversity and for the sustainable management of Natura 2000 areas, while also fostering cooperation with local communities.
One of the 26 finalists is Notranjska Park with the project LIFE Stržen: Improving the status of Natura 2000 areas on the intermittented Lake Cerknica through the renaturation of the Stržen riverbed. With this project, we are competing for the Natura 2000 Award in the category "Conservation on land", which recognizes efforts to preserve terrestrial areas. This category is dedicated to activities that have contributed to improving the conservation status of terrestrial species or habitats protected in the respective area.
Renaturacija Stržena na Cerkniškem jezeru. Foto: arhiv NRP
With the support of the EU LIFE financial mechanism, in Slovenia, at Cerknica Lake, the mighty Stržen riverbed was restored, which had been leveled in the early 20th century in order to allow water to drain more quickly from Cerknica Lake and to make the areas usable for agriculture in those difficult times. The project area covers two Natura 2000 sites - Cerknico Lake and the Notranjski Triangle.
The restoration involved excavating 2.1 km of the former meander, redirecting the riverbed into a meander, and filling in a canal. By redirecting Stržen from the canal into its natural oxbow, the ecosystem and habitat of the intermittent Cerknica Lake significantly improved. The hydrological contributions of the restoration works are also remarkable. The water retention time was extended, increasing the moisture of the area over a 60-hectare influence zone, thereby making the area more resilient to climate change and, not least, increasing the suitable living space for fish, invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
In addition to the restoration of the priority Natura 2000 habitat type - intermittent lakes, the living space for reed-bed birds was improved across a larger area of Cerknica Lake, in the immediate vicinity of the restored Stržen. By creating a tranquil zone of 215 hectares and arranging the area, the nesting and feeding habitat for the great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and 14 other reed-bed bird species listed in the Birds Directive was increased, showing that the project's effects are not only a contribution to the local environment but also to the European one. In addition to habitat restoration for the bittern, in order to reduce the negative impacts of visitors during the birds' breeding season, visitors were redirected away from sensitive areas of Cerknica Lake through various activities. An redirecting infrastructure was established, along with special infrastructure for observing bears and other forest animals; with intensive communication, greater awareness among people about the importance of the area and its rich biodiversity was achieved.
Great bittern and its habitat. Photo: NRP archive
An effective collaboration with landowners, hunters, and fishermen was established, laying the foundations for future joint efforts to conserve this precious ecosystem. The project's success was also contributed by cooperation with local communities and the development of sustainable products, which ensured broad support and benefits both for biodiversity and for the local economy. Two hunting families, with the LIFE STRŽEN project’s support in establishing bear-watching hides, expanded their economic activity with a bear-watching product, representing a shift toward economic activities more compatible with nature conservation.
The impressive efforts of this project emphasize a commitment to achieving ecological restoration and improving resilience to climate change, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.
More about the project can be read on the official project website LIFE Stržen: LIFE Stržen.
Your vote can be cast at this link.
The implementation of extensive nature conservation projects exceeds the financial capacity of the local community, therefore Notranjska Park regularly applies for projects with the possibility of co-financing by the European Union.
The implementation of large-scale conservation projects exceeds the financial capabilities of the local community, therefore Notranjska Park regularly applies for projects with the possibility of co-financing from the European Union.
