Wet Meadows & Bogs

Although wet meadows are becoming increasingly rare and endangered due to heavy drainage and intensive farming, there are still some beautiful areas to be found in Slovenia. This habitat usually occurs along rivers and streams (or lakes), especially those that flood regularly. In some cases such meadows were formed through centuries of human activity and deforestation. But the traditional way of farming allowed the establishment of a high biodiversity. Preserving extensive grasslands through regular mowing and avoiding the scrubbing-over of land is the key to preserve these precious habitats. Some examples of beautiful wet meadows in Slovenia include those in the areas of the Nanoščica river basin, Planinsko polje, Cerkniško jezero, Bloško polje, Ljubljansko barje and the Reka valley.

Most famous and charismatic species :

Corncrake Crex crex

Common Quail Coturnix coturnix

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

Snipe Gallinago gallinago

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis

Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis

Curlew Numenius arquata

Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia

False Heath Fritillary Melitaea diamina

Purple-edged Copper Lycaena hippothoe

Southern Festoon Zerynthia polyxena

Dry Karstic Grasslands

Dry karstic grasslands, like the name suggests, are found in the Karst region of western Slovenia. The Karst, or Kras in Slovene, is a limestone plateau lying in the northernmost part of the Adriatic sea. It extends above the town of Trieste in northeast Italy and into western Slovenia. The area is known for its geological, geomorphological and speleological phenomena, known commonly as karstic phenomena. The term “karst” became the technical term describing any karst area in the world, where the landscape is formed with the dissolution of soluble limestone and dolomite rocks. The Karst’s most characteristic landscape is a stony grassland, formed through four millenia of human activity: from deforestation to intensive grazing of livestock. Nowadays this kind of grassland is slowly giving way to forested areas, as grazing and land use is being abandoned. Although semi-natural, such grasslands are among the most species rich habitats in Europe. They are included in EU’s Habitat Directive and classified as Eastern sub-mediterranean dry grasslands.

Most famous and charismatic Wild Animals:

Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana

Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris

Hoopoe Upupa epops

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra

Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus

Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus

Woodlark Lullula arborea

Skylark Alauda arvensis

Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta