Valentina Brečko-Grubar
Gregor Kovačić
DOI: 10.35666/28310438.2014.3.396
UDC: 911.3:448.483.11(497.4)
Abstract: Low-lying, depositional areas of Slovenian coast had been transformed into saltpans already in the time of Roman Empire. After the abandonment of salt production, saltpans were progressively transformed back into salt or brackish wetlands. Until rather recently, the importance and the value of the later were not properly recognized. Therefore, a large part of the wetlands have been subjected to draining and water regulation works, converted into agricultural land and later transformed into urbanised coastal areas. However, some of the wetlands have been preserved till nowadays and present protection areas of Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve, Strunjan Landscape Park and Sečovlje Saltpans Landscape Park. Especially the first one was a highly degraded area. After vast renaturation and remediation works the Škocjanski zatok lagoon was protected as nature reserve in 1998. Sečovlje Saltpans Landscape Park was establish in 2001 and Strunjan Landscape Park in 2004. Basic intents of these threeprotected wetlands are the preservation of present state against the possible devastating human impacts in the area, preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. In mostly urbanized Slovenian cost the protected wetlands present important natural environments in the near surroundings of highly populated cites of Koper, Izola, Piran and Portorož. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the visitors of all three protected wetlands of Slovenian coast, but the respondents had to be the permanent residents of Koper, Izola and Piran municipalities. The survey confirmed our expectations that ones degraded areas of no value have gained new functions and significance. A number of daily and regular visitors prove that the wetlands provide good conditions for relaxation and recreation. Respondents deemed that the wetlands contribute to the quality of their living environment and to higher value of local and regional costal area. Beside relaxation, observing of nature, plant and animal species through the year are also the reasons for visiting wetlands, which proves their educational role. The majority of respondents agrees that protection of the wetlands is an adequate land use and would not devote these areas to any other human activities. Furthermore, they want that these areas preserve their present state and remain the places for leisure activities of inhabitants of coastal settlements. Groups of visitors from other parts of the state and abroad visiting one of the wetlands show that the tourist importance of the wetlands is increasing. In 2010, Sečovlje Saltpans Landscape Park recorded 28,000 visitors. For the other two wetlands only estimations of visitor numbers exist. Due to high natural vulnerability and low carrying capacity of wetlands, managing of each of the protected wetlands is a great professional challenge. On theother hand, protected areas present a development opportunity for local environment, especially in the landscape parks. Sečovlje Saltpans Landscape Park shows obvious economic impacts on the local environment, while on the other hand the development of the Strunjan Landscape Park is yet in progress.
Key words: Coastal wetland, nature protection, nature reserve, landscape park, Slovenia