Participatory workshop - Cultural landscape for a fire-resistant Karst: how to move forward?

Invitation to a consultation and participatory workshop within the framework of the Karst Firewall 5.0 project - Cultural landscape for a fire-resistant Karst: how to move forward?

Cultural landscape for a fire-resistant Karst: how to move forward?

After the fire in 2022, it became clear that the restoration of the Karst is not only the task of nature, but also of the communities, professions, farmers, municipalities, institutions, and individuals who live and work here.

Therefore, as part of the Karst Firewall 5.0 project, which is dedicated to the development of cross-border measures to reduce fire risk in the Karst, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 10 am at the Cerje Peace Monument, (Lokvica 35, 5291 Miren), for a consultation and participatory workshop that will address key questions about the maintenance and restoration of the Karst cultural landscape as a way to increase fire resistance in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica.

Land use in the Karst has changed dramatically in recent decades. The abandonment of traditional grazing, overgrowing of meadows and the deterioration of dry stone walls contribute to the increased vulnerability of the area. Therefore, together with you, we will look for practical solutions that could come to life in the local environment.

The workshop is intended for everyone who shapes the Karst region with their knowledge or work, so we especially invite farmers, agricultural communities, local and state institutions in the fields of agriculture, environment and spatial planning, advisory services, associations and institutes in the fields of cultural heritage, dry stone construction and tourism, and all interested public.

Programme:

10:00–10:10 Introductory address (Dr. Massimiliano Granceri Bradaschia, IUAV)

Presentation of key results of the Karst Firewall 5.0 project from the perspective of the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica

10.10–10.40 Introductory substantive contributions

● Presentation of pilot activities in the municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica (Tina Gerbec, expert for projects and economy, Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica).

● Challenges and opportunities for the re-establishment of grazing regimes and agricultural use of sinkholes (Dr. Matjaž Geršič, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, ZRC SAZU)

● The role and restoration of dry stone walls as elements of the cultural landscape in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica (Dr. Mateja Breg Valjavec, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, ZRC SAZU)

10.40–12.40 Participatory workshop Interactive discussions on topics:

● Grazing and grassland management (link between historical use and present-day conditions)

● Drilling and agriculture (possibilities for reactivation of previously worked (worked) drillings)

● Drystone walls and the cultural landscape (the role of drystone walls in preserving the cultural and fire-resistant landscape)

12.40–13.00 Closing remarks and next steps

Moderator: Maja Drobne

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Please confirm your participation via the online form no later than January 23, 2026: https://pinaforms.typeform.com/to/EZSJJgt3.

For more information, you can contact us at info@pina.si .

We look forward to meeting and reflecting together on the future of the Karst cultural landscape.

More about the project

The event is taking place within the framework of the Karst Firewall 5.0 project, which focuses on the impacts of climate change and increased fire risk in the cross-border area. In the pilot area of the municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica, we are developing solutions based on spatial data, local knowledge and the cooperation of various actors. The focus is on the restoration of dry stone walls as green infrastructure, the reactivation of worked sinkholes as agricultural micro-areas and the revival of grazing regimes as a way to prevent overgrowth.