EEA and Norway Grants 2004–2009
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Project CARS-OUT! Environment-friendly visit to protected areas
Project CARS-OUT! presented at the press conference new arrangements and facilities which contribute to environment-friendly visit to protected areas. The new arrangements and facilities were implemented in the framework of the project CARS-OUT! financed under the EEA Financial Mechanism. Project partners from Norway (National Park Jotunheimen) and the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park and the Strunjan Nature Park participate in the project as project partners.
The project will raise awareness on the significance of environment-friendly visit to protected areas, namely through a dedicated website (www.cars-out.com), educational film and examples of best practices of environmentally sound visit to protected areas. The project also aims to establish adequate infrastructure and purchase equipment facilitating environment-friendly visit.
Project activities are:
a) establishing a footpath from the Lera entrance in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park to the administrative building and the centre for visitors along the wooden bridge and pass the renovated stone embankment by the edge of the fields for water densification, along with three wooden bridges and a new wooden house to receive visitors
b) reinforcement and protection of the upper area of the access path along the Lera canal enabling visitors to access the Spa Lepa Vida by electric car, in the length of 600 metres
c) reinforcement of the unpaved road along the Dragonja river in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park to access the Museum of salt making in Fontanigge in the length of 2,200 metres, and purchase of an electric vehicle with three trailers for passenger transportation, and instalment of a roof for compensation
d) purchase of electric and regular bicycles for the Strunjan Nature Park
The visit to Sečovlje Salina Nature Park will take place entirely on foot, by bicycle, electric vehicle or at sea. The Sečovlje Salina Nature Park will be the first nature park is Slovenia not allowing visit by motorised vehicle.
The project will also facilitate exchange of experiences, collection and analysis of data pertaining to visit, and drafting guidelines for environment-friendly visit.
The project is worth a little under EUR 1 million and will receive EEA Financial Mechanism support and the support of the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy in the amount of 95% of total project value.
Three areas related to the project CARS-OUT!
Sečovlje Salina Nature Park is a natural value of national importance where the diversity of saltwater-dependant habitats and the species of flora and fauna as well as the typical cultivated landscape is preserved by continuing the interaction between man and nature in the form of natural salt making and efficient management targeting nature preservation.
In the framework of the project the Park introduces best practices of visiting the area in a manner which proves least disturbing for the environment and the people. The project will contribute to realising the ambitious goal of making Sečovlje Salina Nature Park the first nature park in Slovenia not allowing visit by motorised vehicle.
Jotunheimen National Park is the most popular national park in Norway. It is located in central part of Norway. The park was established in 1980 covering 1151 km2 of mountainous area. Jotunheimen National Park is visited each year by numerous hikers, climbers, cyclists and skiers.
The Norwegian partner’s participation in project implementation represents a contribution in terms of its rich experience with regard to planning visits to other protected and natural areas in Norway. The Norwegian partner will transfer its rich experience regarding traffic steering and park visits to the Slovenian partner (Strunjan Nature Park) who will develop a strategic study for traffic management in its area. The visits of the Slovenian partners to Jotunheimen National Park will enable the Slovenian partners to gain experience and knowledge in managing visit to highly-populated regions popular for visitors.
Strunjan Nature Park is a protected area of national significance where the coastal landscape of the Strunjan peninsula covers nature’s wealth and beauties as well as man-made assets designed over centuries. To the north the park is marked by 80-meter high cliff with a natural maritime shoreline descending through south sunny and cultivated slopes to the valley of the stream Roja where a lagoon and operating salinas are located. In good weather the exceptional lookout spots offer a view extending all the way from the Gulf of Trieste to the peek Triglav.
The aim of the project with regard to the Strunjan Nature Park is to assess the burdens on the environment caused by motorised vehicles, and to develop proposals of alternative ways to visit the park without using motorised vehicles. Regular and electric bicycles will be purchased which will present one of the possible ways of environment-friendly visit to a protected area.
