More facts about Ljubljansko Barje
It is a diverse
mixture of the past and present in a setting of a rich cultural landscape.
It forms a patchwork
of grasslands, woodlands, fields, ditches and hedges, forming diverse habitats of
numerous plants and animals.
The high groundwater
level and regular floods prevent intensive farming and reduce its economic
efficiency.
Ljubljanica river sinks
and reappears on the surface seven times throughout its course of flow (due to
the karst geological foundation).
Characteristics
The original lake that covered the area is estimated to be formed two million years ago by the sinking of Ljubljana basin. 6000 years ago the lake dried up, leaving a boggy plain in its place. After large layers of peat were discovered (in some areas up to 9 metres thick) they were gradually dug out, causing water to overflow the area again, becoming an object of several attempts of drainage. Empress Maria Theresa issued a decree in 1769, ordering a plan for wetland reclamation into land suitable for farming. In the 1930s the City Council of Ljubljana began to sell plots of land with the only condition being that a residential building were built and that drainage channels were regularly maintained. The expansion of agricultural production as well as building business, residential, industrial and commercial developments has gradually become a threat to the natural area.
Nature
and history
Archaeological remains from Copper Age onwards – pile
dwellings remains suggest a highly developed and a technologically advanced inhabitants’
culture.
Recent discovery of
a wheel and axle of a two-wheeled cart dated to around 3200 BC suggests the dwellers’
contacts with the wider European territory.
Although the
Ljubljansko Barje plains cover no more than 1 % of Slovene territory, a half of
all Slovene birds (about 100 species) are known to breed there.
Wet meadows are
inhabited by 89 species of butterflies, their existence being closely
associated with unfertilised grasslands. Many amongst the 48 species of dragonflies
that inhabit Ljubljansko Barje are considered endangered.
Nature
park conserved area
Ljubljansko Barje, home to numerous endangered species, has been proclaimed a Natura 2000 site and was founded as a Nature Park area in 2008. Slovene legislation defines Nature Parks as areas with long standing interaction of the highest quality between man and nature, with high ecological, biotic and landscape values. It is a challenging attempt to integrate species and habitats conservation with the life and activities of the inhabitants, local communities and initiatives into the planning and management process (with expected conflicts, caused by contradicting standpoints of inhabitants and nature protection). By the way approximately 70 % of all European wetlands have been destroyed mainly due to the intensive farming and urbanisation.
© Vital Landscapes, Große Diesdorfer Str. 56/57, D-39110 Magdeburg