Invitation to the second cross-border participatory workshop of the ITINERANT project

Second cross-border seminar supporting the preparation of the Action Plan for the revitalisation of the Stol and Planja areas

As part of the ITINERANT project, Posoški razvojni center, in cooperation with the Municipality of Kobarid, invites local and cross-border stakeholders to take part in the second participatory workshop supporting the preparation of the Cross-Border Action Plan for the revitalisation of the Stol and Planja areas and the balanced development of the wider cross-border territory.

The ITINERANT project promotes innovative models of sustainable tourism within the Julian Alps Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. It places particular emphasis on involving local communities, protecting natural and cultural heritage, improving residents’ quality of life and developing tourism and territorial solutions that respond to the environmental sensitivity and distinctive characteristics of the area.

The first cross-border workshop, held in Kobarid on 14 May 2026, launched the joint process of preparing the Action Plan. Participants from Slovenia and Italy identified the area’s key assets, its main development and nature-conservation challenges, and the factors shaping the future of Stol and Planja. Particular emphasis was placed on preserving agriculture and grazing, preventing the loss of open landscapes through land abandonment and overgrowth, protecting habitats and species, managing visitors responsibly, and establishing clearer and better-coordinated governance of the area.

The second workshop will take this process forward by moving from a shared understanding of the area’s challenges to the development of concrete solutions and measures. Drawing on the results of the first workshop, a review of existing studies and technical documents, questionnaires, interviews and further consultations, participants will jointly consider which measures should be included in the Action Plan, which should be prioritised and under what conditions they could be implemented.

The workshop will focus in particular on:

• restoring and safeguarding the grassland and pastoral cultural landscape over the long term;
• improving conditions for agricultural land use, grazing, mowing and local stewardship;
• protecting nature, habitats and the area’s characteristic species;
• managing visitor flows and access and developing low-impact forms of tourism;
• conserving and interpreting the area’s natural and cultural heritage;
• strengthening cross-border cooperation and establishing an appropriate governance framework;
• identifying potential implementing bodies, partners, enabling conditions and risks associated with the proposed measures.

Participants’ contributions will feed directly into the implementation section of the Cross-Border Action Plan. The purpose of the workshop is therefore not simply to collect proposals, but to jointly develop a realistic and prioritised set of measures that reflects the needs of the area, its local communities, agriculture, nature conservation and responsible visitation.

Date and venue

Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Time: 10.00–13.00
Venue: Dom Andreja Manfrede, Gregorčičeva ulica 20, 5222 Kobarid, Slovenia

Provisional programme

10.00 – Welcome and introduction to the aims of the second cross-border seminar
10.15 – Presentation of the first workshop results and a summary of the process to date
10.40 – Group work: from key challenges to possible solutions
11.30 – Refreshment break and networking

12.00 – Group work: priority measures, feasibility, implementing bodies and partners
12.40 – Presentation of group results and agreement on the next steps
13.00 – Close of the workshop

Who should attend?

We particularly welcome participation from:

• farmers, shepherds, grazing communities, landowners and land users;
• representatives of local communities, residents and civil-society organisations;
• tourism providers, guides and destination management organisations;
• representatives of nature-conservation and land-management bodies;
• municipalities, public institutions and development organisations;
• technical and advisory services in the fields of agriculture, forestry, spatial planning and nature conservation;
• research and educational organisations;
• cross-border partners and other stakeholders from Slovenia and Italy;
• anyone with knowledge, experience or an interest relating to the Stol and Planja area and the wider cross-border territory.

The workshop will be conducted in Slovenian and Italian.

To help us make the necessary arrangements, and as places are limited, please confirm your participation using the following link:

Registration: https://tally.so/r/44bKLr (SLO) / https://tally.so/r/LZrjxv (IT)

Registration will remain open until 12.00 noon on 22 September 2026.

We warmly invite you to join us and actively contribute to shaping the future of the Stol and Planja areas.

The event is organised by Posoški razvojni center in cooperation with the Municipality of Kobarid as part of the ITINERANT project.

The ITINERANT project is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia Programme 2021–2027.