Management and Business Plan, Secovlje Salina, Slovenia
The extraction of salt in the lagoons of Secovlje Salina, Slovenia, where the the Dragonja River reaches the Adriatic Sea, started several hundreds years ago. Due to the high quality of the salt from Secovlje, richness in minerals, sweetish taste and very bright-white color, this Salina was one of the most important salinas during the “Serenissima” Republic of Venice.
In Secovlje Salina Nature Park, established already in the year 1990, salt is still harvested in the ancient traditional way. The pans’ salty habitats attract many bird and fish species, as well as numerous tiny organisms. Of particular interest, however, are halophilous plants that thrive only in salty environment. The Secovlje Salina’s cultural heritage, on the other hand, reflects centuries-old work of the salters from this north-eastern part of the Adriatic Sea.
No human settlements are included in the park, which comprises two main zones: an area of active salt-production and harvesting – “Lera” and strict conservation zone -“Fontanigge”. More: www.kpss.si
The governance and management model of this particular protected area (IUCN protected area category V) is described as “government-delegated” management. Land and the infrastructure inside the park belong to the Republic of Slovenia which signed a concession agreement for management of the protected area with a company Soline Ltd.
- Secovlje Salina Nature park: Management plan (2011-2021) and Evaluation of the delivery of the management objectives for the period 2011 – 2015). Lead expert: A. Sovinc. Republic of Slovenia. Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and KPSS, 2017.
- Financial Strategy and Business Plan for Secovlje Salina Nature Park. Key expert: A. Sovinc. Dinaric Arc Ecoregion Project. WWF. 2010.
