The Notranjska Regional Park is located within the municipality of Cerknica and covers over 222 km². It was established in 2002 to preserve, protect, and study the natural and cultural values of this area.
One of the activities contributing to the preservation and protection of this unique piece of the world is nature conservation surveillance. Notranjska Park began implementing this activity as part of the LIFE Stržen project, and it continues within the LIFE Trsca project. The project area includes a large part of Lake Cerknica, so conservation surveillance activities are primarily focused on this area.
During the project, to facilitate direct and indirect surveillance, we carried out the following activities:
- purchased an electric vehicle,
- visited Kamenjak National Park (Croatia) and familiarized ourselves with their conservation service,
- acquired technical equipment (binoculars, GSM, trail cameras, uniforms, drones) to detect and document violations and bad practices,
- installed five surveillance cameras (two equipped with solar power),
- submitted a written report to the Intermunicipal Inspectorate regarding illegal waste disposal near Castle Karlovec,
- held a meeting with the Cerknica Police Station leadership to explore further collaboration,
- introduced occasional nighttime surveillance,
- prepared and published guidelines on our website for registering planned commercial events in nature (e.g., filming advertisements, movies, music videos),
- attended two supplementary training sessions for nature conservation supervisors organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning,
- compiled a report on illegal material dumping (construction waste, green waste, bulky waste, etc.) in the Vodonos area.
Illegal waste disposal in a cave near the Tresenec spring. Photo: Damjan Intihar
During this period, five employees of the Notranjska Park received the status of volunteer nature conservation supervisors, three of whom were trained within the LIFE Tršca project. The theoretical training took place at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, while the practical training occurred at the Vinko Bezenik Training Center in Gotenica, managed by the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Academy. Some will continue their education at the Ministry of Public Administration, and after passing the exam for conducting administrative offense proceedings, they will become nature conservation supervisors. They will then be able to directly assist with conservation surveillance at Lake Cerknica and across the Notranjska Regional Park.
The primary role of nature conservation supervisors is to prevent actions that negatively impact nature. A significant emphasis is placed on raising awareness among visitors. However, you—visitors, farmers, fishermen, hunters, foresters, hikers, cyclists, mushroom pickers, beekeepers, and other stakeholders connected to nature—can help preserve nature’s favorable condition. You can do this by discouraging harmful behavior or by reporting observed harmful actions to the competent authorities with details such as photos and location. You can also write to info@notranjski-park.si.