Important Plant Areas of Slovenia

There is a total of 58 IPAs in Slovenia, covering 10,177,000 hectares.

Slovenia covers over 20,000 km2 in south central Europe, and has two biogeographic zones, Continental and Alpine, bordering the Mediterranean and Pannonic zones. Slovenia borders Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, and contains the south eastern part of the Alps Centre of Plant Diversity.

Habitats

Slovenia’s natural vegetation consists mainly of deciduous and mixed forests – from the lowland to montane belt, coniferous forests in the upper montane belt and subalpine to alpine grassland and shrub vegetation. It is well known for the semi-natural grasslands of the limestone Kras region.

Forest and grassland are major habitats occurring at over half of IPAs. Heath and scrub habitats are also a common feature. Inland water habitats form a significant feature of IPAs, whilst wetland habitats are frequent and some IPA’s occur in coastal, marine and inland rocky habitats.

Threats

Key threats to IPAs in Slovenia include abandonment of grassland areas and rapid changes in land management. Tourist development, which threatens several sites and development (urban, transport and industrial) are a significant threat. Invasive plant species also affect some of the IPAs.