In April, the Soil Protection Working Group of the Alpine Convention was hosted in the Slovenian Environmental Agency in Ljubljana, with the support of the Slovenian Ministry for Natural Resources and Spatial Planning.
Blanka Bartol, Head of the Slovenian Alpine Convention Delegation, officially welcomed the group on behalf of the Ministry. This was followed by lively discussions regarding the ongoing activities: the update of the Alpine Soil Action Plan (ASAP), the preparation of technical guidelines for soil protection on Alpine construction sites, the soil protection and spatial planning coaching events, the EU Soil Monitoring Law, the draft fact sheet on climate and soil prepared by the Alpine Climate Board and current activities from other partners regarding Alpine soil. Forward looking initial ideas for future joint activities from 2027 onwards were brainstormed.
The Slovenian delegation organised an excursion to the Ljubljana marsh during which the participants, guided by an expert from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, got to see and explore peatland soil, with a soil profile prepared specifically for this meeting.
Several experts explained and showed the history of the marsh area, which originally consisted of several meters of peat layers on which an early human settlement existed, including the way of living in these special conditions during that time. A good practice example of the statement on restoring peatlands as well as the challenges and solutions for visitor management was presented during the excursion: the Slovenian Wetman project (in Slovenian).
The excursion showcased the Working Group’s “Preserving moors in the Alps” statement in reality: the importance of peatlands considering their ecosystem services for a good quality of life and how much peat has already been lost during the last centuries, thus the urgency to protect and restore peatlands in and around the Alps.
The meeting was successful in highlighting the importance of peatland conservation, soil protection and on collaborating on both in the Alpine region.
