The town of Škofja Loka, Slovenia, hosted an international expert meeting during the Slovenian Alpine Convention Day on 8 April, focusing on strengthening resilience and improving spatial planning after natural disasters in Alpine countries.
The Slovenian Alpine Convention Day is a traditional event, which is always dedicated to a current topic and aimed at diverse target groups. This year it was organised as a consultation on the topic of natural hazards in light of climate change as well as climate adaptation and rebuilding after extreme events.
Participants were welcomed by the Slovenian Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Jože Novak, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention Alenka Smerkolj, and the mayor of Škofja Loka Tine Radinja. The Austrian ambassador to Slovenia, Dr. Konrad Bühler, was also present.
The event was organised by the Slovenian Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning and was a follow-up event to Slovenia’s two-year presidency of the Alpine Convention. The meeting brought together local authorities, spatial planners, and project designers to exchange valuable experiences and best practices.
The event was also co-organised with the Alpine Climate Board whose Chair, Katharina Zwettler, gave an introduction to climate change facts and natural hazards. She also outlined the work of the Alpine Convention and the Alpine Climate Board in this area, as well as highlighting the connections between climate change, natural hazards, and quality of life of the Alpine inhabitants as also outlined in the new Report on the State of the Alps on Quality of Life (RSA10). This was followed by presentations of solutions and best practices from Slovenia and Austria.
The day concluded with a field visit to several locations in Škofja Loka, including the restored Hudičeva brv footbridge, which was damaged during the August 2023 floods, and a tour of the flood-prone area at the confluence of the Poljanska and Selška Sora rivers.