The beginning of the restoration of meadows within the Gorička krajina project
Goričko Nature park Public Institute together with project partners DOPPS- BirdLife Slovenia and The Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia – Institute Murska Sobota continues with the endeavours for conservation and improvement of the meadow habitats.
From May to the end of October, mowing and restoration of meadows on a total area of 106 ha within the Natura 2000 site Goričko will be carried out. Plan of the restoration is adapted to the state of the meadow, while the mowing itself will be also adapted to the weather conditions. Restoration will be carried out on meadows that have been purchased and on meadows for which contracts have been concluded with the owners. Mowing will be carried out by a selected external contractor with its subcontractors.
Plan of the restoration is made for each parcel according to its state upon which the number of mowing for each parcel is prescibed - once, twice or three times per year. All biomass will be removed after few days after mowing. The measures for meadow restoration will be be carried out on 680 parcels in 42 cadastral zones in nine municipalities: Adrijanci, Boreča, Gornji Petrovci, Križevci, Martinje, Lucova, Neradnovci, Panovci, Stanjevci, Šulinci, Ženavlje, Dolnji Slaveči, Grad, Kovačevci, Motovilci, Vidonci, Hodoš, Krplivnik, Kobilje, Gornji Slaveči, Kuzma, Matjaševci, Berkovci, Fokovci, Kančevci, Lončarovci, Motvarjevci, Selo, Središče, Otovci, Nuskova, Ocinje, Pertoča, Rogašovci, Ropoča, Sveti Jurij, Budinci, Čepinci, Dolenci, Domanjševci, Markovci and Šalovci.
With restoration measures we plan to improve the conservation status of three target meadow habitat types and to improve habitat conditions for the scarce and dusky large blue butterflies, marsh fritillarty, scops owl, woodlark and the hermit beetle. Many overgrown meadows will be after removal of the shrubs and trees again suitable for agricultural use and will therefore again gain their initial purpose. The aim of the project is therefore not only to increase biodiversity but also to increase the landscape diversity.
