Duration: 24 months
01.09.2023-31.08.2025
Budget: €749.999,66
Partners:
- Park Škocjanske jame (SLO)
- Municipality of San Dorligo della Valle - Dolina (ITA)
- VeGAL – LAG Eastern Venice (ITA)
- Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina (SLO)
The project Engreen 2 - Capitalising on the strengthening of green infrastructure in the cultural landscape cross-border IT-SI – comes to its conclusion on 31 August 2025. Below we present some of the activities carried out during course of the project.
PILOT ACTIONS
In both the ENGREEN and ENGREEN 2 projects, the project partners implemented a series of pilot actions with the main aim of protecting existing habitats and creating new ones, as well as preserving and strengthening the biodiversity of plant and animal species in the Interreg Italy-Slovenia programme area, and beyond. Amongst these activities, for example:
RESTORATION OF THE MRZLEK POND
The lead partner of the project, the Škocjan Caves Park (Škocjanske jame, Slovenia), carried out the restoration of the Mrzlek pond in the Municipality of Divača. The goal of the restoration was to recover the pond to its original appearance and function, as a surface water collection basin, which is essential for the protection of biodiversity, including Natura 2000 protected species and other protected species. With the end of the works, the responsible partner monitored the conditions and success of the restoration, noting the presence of numerous plant and animal species in/near the pond.
RESTORATION OF THE ICE HOUSE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF HRPELJE-KOZINA
In the past, ice houses were utilized to store ice, which was used to cool towns and preserve food. Ice houses were built with dry stone walls, usually in a sinkhole or a pit dug 2–3 metres into the ground. With technological developments, ice houses fell into disuse. The Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina in Slovenia decided to restore the ice house near the village of Nasirec, which supplied the Karst region and Trieste. This site was previously in state of damage and it was overgrown with shrubs and trees.
INSTALLATION OF INFORMATION PANELS IN THE VAL ROSANDRA NATURE RESERVE
The restoration of the Draga ice house, with the Engreen project, together with the installation of new information panels in Val Rosandra as part of Engreen 2, constitutes a comprehensive intervention aimed at preserving and enhancing the historical and natural heritage of the area. These measures will improve accessibility, raise awareness of the citizens and visitors and support the sustainable development of tourism in the municipality of San Dorligo della Valle - Dolina.
JOINT CROSS-BORDER GUIDELINES FOR THE LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES AND RELATED BIODIVERSITY
With the Engreen 2 project, the partners have also worked on updating and implementing a set of guidelines that aim to contribute to the management of green infrastructures and biodiversity in the area of interest between Italy and Slovenia. This document contains strategic objectives, an inventory of good practices and an action plan. The guidelines can also be consulted as a “manual” for the management of karst ponds, the conservation of dry-stone walls, and the enhancement and promotion of green wine-growing infrastructure. In addition, there are a series of insights regarding the involvement and awareness-raising of citizens, targeting both young people and adults.
AWARENESS-RAISING AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES
One of the objectives of the ENGREEN 2 project is to raise awareness among residents of the cross-border area between Italy and Slovenia regarding green infrastructure and biodiversity.
The partners have carried out numerous activities with children, families, people with special needs and adults with the aim of educating and raising awareness among citizens about the planning, protection and restoration of green infrastructures through an inclusive approach. In particular, the 4 partners have organized creative workshops, excursions, interactive lessons and events.
In addition to these activities, the partners also organized some participatory workshops with local stakeholders to address various issues connected to green infrastructures and biodiversity conservation. For example, lead partner PŠJ held training sessions to discuss the restoration of ponds in the Slovenian area, while VeGAL organized three events related to wine, to highlight the importance between green infrastructures and the wine sector in the Eastern Venice area.
The project ends with the hope of having been able to make a (small) contribution to the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, with a particular focus on strengthening green infrastructures in the area between Italy and Slovenia. We would like to thank everyone who worked, collaborated and interacted with the Engreen 2 project, proving how vital transnational cooperation is! 😊
