Slovenia

Slovenia is a geographically diverse country with an terrestrial area of 20,000km² and a marine area of over 200km². The northern part of the country consists of the Alps, the east of the country is part of the Pannonian plain, with the Karst Plateau between the mountains, plains and the coast. It is bordered by 4 other countries. The highest point is Triglav at 2,864m. Slovenia has a population of 2 million people and a population density of 104.6 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters covered

by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Slovenia cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of Slovenia's terrestrial area is designated as protected areas, which is significantly above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. In the marine waters of Slovenia, protected areas coverage is currently at , which is below the EU value of 12.1%.

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Number of protected areas

Slovenia has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Slovenia, the majority ( ) of terrestrial protected areas are designated both as Natura 2000 sites and under national laws, with a small portion designated solely under national laws. The marine protected areas network in Slovenia largely consists of Natura 2000 sites overlapping with nationally designated sites, with a small portion of the network covered solely by nationally designated areas.

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Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The majority of both terrestrial and marine protected areas in Slovenia are smaller than 1 km².

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Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Slovenia cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Slovenia under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Slovenia hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 15% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 53% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Slovenia, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

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Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Slovenia, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 54.8%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 9.8% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 8.7%.

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Conservation Status by Taxa

In Slovenia, the assessment of species groups reveals that vascular plants have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 59.5%. Following closely behind are reptiles, with 50% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, arthropods exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 23.1%, while amphibians also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status at 22.2%.

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Habitats protected in Slovenia under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Slovenia hosts habitat types, which is approximately 25.8% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Slovenia

Conservation status of habitats

In Slovenia, the 38.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. On the other hand, the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 30.3%, is slightly below the EU average of 35.8%.

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Protected habitat composition by group

In Slovenia, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, encompassing 20% of the total. Following behind are forests and grasslands, each accounting for 18.3% of the protected habitats.

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Conservation status by group

In Slovenia the assessment of habitat groups reveals that sclerophyllous scrub and heath and scrub have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following behind are coastal habitats, with 75% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, freshwater habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 68.7%, while grasslands also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 50%.

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Slovenia is predominantly characterised by forest ecosystems, which cover 65.2% of the country, followed by agroecosystems occupying 27.5% of the land area. However, Slovenia has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (4.6%), heathlands (2.2%), rivers and lakes (0.4%), and wetland ecosystems (0.04%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 75.7% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 17.9% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands account for 4.3% of the protected areas, while urban areas contribute to 1.5%. Rivers and lakes represent 0.5%, and wetlands comprise 0.1%.

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