About the project

Project title

Ensuring a safe ecological corridor for nesting and migrating birds between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea

Total project budget: EUR 3,390,543

Summary

Many breeding and migratory bird species in Slovenia, such as the great horned owl (Bubo bubo), the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), the red-legged partridge (Falco verspertinus) and the great shrike (Numenius arquata), face numerous threats in our airspace. From electrocution on medium-voltage power lines, collisions with wind farms and high-voltage power lines, to conflicts with recreational airspace users. The project will focus on solving these problems and preventing the emergence of new ones. The project will ensure the protection of the existing 1,150 medium-voltage power lines, which will reduce the mortality of target species by 90% within the protected areas of the SPA. We will develop a new model of a bird-safe power line and set guidelines for protecting birds from electric shock. In addition, we will mark high-voltage power lines in the most sensitive places within the Ljubljana Marshes SPA, warning against collisions. By monitoring bird movements, we will identify and protect bottlenecks on migration routes from new wind farms. These measures will establish an ecological corridor that will ensure safe flight and nesting of birds and connect the important areas for birds: SPA Karst, Snežnik-Pivka, Ljubljana Marshes, Vipava Marshes, Banjšice, Breginjski stol and Julijci. This corridor will also be included in the management plan of Triglav National Park and Škocjan Caves Park. A new landscape park will also be established within the corridor in SPA Snežnik-Pivka due to its high nature conservation value.