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Description
The JeloviZA project is needed to rehabilitate, restore and provide efficient ecosystem services to the damaged mountain forest ecosystem on Jelovica as soon as possible. Jelovica is one of the largest concentrated areas of preserved nature in Slovenia, and most of the area has Natura 2000 site status. Jelovica has been facing the consequences of climate change for many years (weather disasters, bark beetles).
The main objectives are:
1. Ensuring greater climate resilience of Jelovica through ecosystem restoration.
2. Preparing Jelovica Management Model (JMM) and introducing the model into the strategic development documents of the municipalities in the Jelovica area through public involvement, strategic communication, education, and building a support network in the local area.
Specific objectives are:
1. Inventor and assess ecosystem services (analysis of the state of the forest, obtaining data on the state of qualified species, establishing habitats for them, analysis of the area from the point of view of activities - zoning).
2. Restore 20 ha of affected forest areas with more climate-resistant species.
3. Train and educate experts (hunters, district foresters, field assistants of ZRSVN, representatives of interested NGOs, local communities) who will carry out the activities of JMM in the future.
4. Elaborate the model, start cooperation of different stakeholders, establish a strong regional network of stakeholders who will also commit to the implementation of the JMM (Memorandum of Understanding of the main stakeholders).
5. Create a social environment that supports the JMM and the sustainable development of the territory (communication and awareness campaigns, publications in the media, responsiveness, visibility).
Summary of project results
The project JeloviZA addressed the challenges of climate change in Jelovica, the lack of a management plan for the area and the participatory nature of municipal strategy documents.
The main challenge of the project was to provide and maintain effective ecosystem services in an area that has been facing the effects of climate change for many years and where mountain forest has been damaged by numerous weather-related disasters.
The capacity to sequester CO2 has been reduced, threatening the habitats of sensitive qualifying species (Tetrao urogallus L, Tetrastes bonasia, Picoides tridactylus, Strix uralensis) in the Natura 2000 area.
The main objectives were:
1. Ensuring greater climate resilience of Jelovica through ecosystem restoration.
2. Development of the Jelovica Management Model (JMM) and introduction of the model into the strategic development documents of the municipalities in the Jelovica area through public participation, strategic communication, education and establishment of a support body in the local area.
The project activities were:
- restored 20ha of damaged and burnt forest by planting adapted tree species and pruning for natural regeneration,
- establishing habitat protection for trees,
- good practice transfer, trainings, talks and workshops for stakeholders were organised to improve capacity and expertise in ecosystem management,
- inventories of the qualifying species Wild Cock, Wood Crane and Three-toed Clover were carried out.
- project obtained data on the pressure on the area (number of visitors, traffic, recreational activities) and assessed the pressure on the area,
- inventoried and evaluated the ecosystem services across the site
- restored the nesting boxes for the ibex,
- communication to raise awareness of the importance of the conservation of the site,
- prepared a Management Model for the area with the stakeholders of the Jelovica area.
The main result of the project is the support of local communities for the sustainable use of the project area. Through the activities, the project brought together municipalities, stakeholders from different communities and activities, local residents, experts, nature conservationists, etc. Through a participatory approach, we were able to produce a coherent Management Model with a common denominator - to keep the peace on Jelovica. At the end of the project, the stakeholders of the area are motivated to establish a consultative body that will be able to implement the proposals for future actions identified and defined during the project in order to achieve the conservation of the area.
The results of the project will also help for greater climate resilience of Jelovica.
Summary of bilateral results
The importance of the project lies precisely in the cooperation of the different partners, which allowed us to address the area in a holistic way, both in terms of the forest, nature protection and socio-cultural values. Only in this way we were able to gain the trust of the local population and address the quality of life in the area. The main overall result of the project is the Jelovice Management Model document, which combines on several levels based on harmonized content; it connects the diversity of expertise of the project partners, it connects the various stakeholders of the area, it also connected all the municipalities bordering the area. At the various project activities that we organized for the stakeholders of the area, we socialized, raised awareness and improved both stakeholders and project partners and learned together how important it is to know the opinions, beliefs and, ultimately, the facts of other professions, in order to understand the functioning of the area as a whole - nature and the people who live and work there. The project partnership helped to better understand the functioning of each partner and thus to even better cooperation in the future.