With the Otter through the Capital

Zaradi populacijskih lastnosti vidre in njene ogroženosti so zelo pomembni zvezni koridorji med posameznimi osrednjimi območji populacije, v našem primeru med območjem Natura 2000 Ljubljansko barje in osrednjo vodno žilo Slovenije, Savo – to je Ljubljanica. V projektu Vidra na pragu prestolnice smo ugotovili, da vidra uporablja koridor Gruberjev prekop in ne Ljubljanice, ki teče skozi mesto, saj ta v mestnem okolju ne nudi primernih habitatnih struktur za vodno živalstvo. Vendar je bilo tudi na Gruberjevem prekopu kar nekaj za vodne živali nepremostljivih ovir (zapornice), za katere smo v tem projektu pripravili predloge za primerne omilitvene ukrepe, ki bi živalim omogočili migracije. Evidentiranje ovir in načrti ustreznih omilitvenih ukrepov so na voljo načrtovalcem pri obnovitvenih delih (npr. obnova Plečnikove zapornice pri Cukrarni), njihova predstavitev javnosti na pojasnjevalnih tablah, razstavah in v medijih pa je pomembno prispevala k ozaveščanju in izobraževanju najširše javnosti in obiskovalcev Ljubljane (turistov) na področju varstva narave, posebej vodnega okolja.

The closeness of the capital city of Ljubljana and protected, very important for nature conservation area of Ljubljana Moors with Ljubljanica river offers new opportunities for exploring nature and the results of the mechanisms for the protection of natural values. At the same time, properly presented and interpreted natural values ​​enrich the cultural pulse of the capital and contribute to the higher environmental awareness of both citizens and visitors.

The project was a continuation of the project The Otter on Capital’s Doorstep, which was also founded by the Institute Lutra in 2008/2009 with the support of the City of Ljubljana. Lutra lutra is an indigenous and internationally protected animal species under special protection of the state. It also lives on the Ljubljana Moors, where it is also a qualification species for Natura 2000 area. Because of the population characteristics of the otter and its threat, connective corridors between central areas are very important (in our case between the Natura 2000 area Ljubljana Moors and the central river in Slovenia, Sava (Ljubljanica). Otters use corridor Gruber canal and not river Ljubljanica, which flows through the city, since the urban environment does not offer suitable habitat structures for aquatic fauna. However, Gruber canal does also have many insurmountable obstacles for which we prepared proposals for suitable mitigation measures. Records of obstacles and plans for appropriate mitigation measures were available to planners in the reconstruction works. Additionally, their presentation to the public on explanatory bords, exhibitions and in the media has significantly contributed to raising awareness and education of the widest public and visitors of Ljubljana about nature protection, especially the aquatic environment.

 

Title: With the Otter through the Capital

Applicant: Lutra, Institute for Conservation of Natural Heritage

Co-financier: The City of Ljubljana

Duration: 2011