Project office

The collaboration on international projects began in 2000 with the FAO-funded project "Capacity Building for Support to Private Forest Owners and Public Participation (TCP/SVN/8922)." This was followed by conservation projects focused on large carnivores in Slovenia, such as the Ursus arctos project (2002–2005). Since then, the Slovenia Forest Service (SFS) has been involved in over 80 projects, serving as lead partner or project partner, as well as participating in numerous initiatives as an associated partner and in market-based projects for clients. Yearly, we are actively engaged in 15 to 20 ongoing projects, with additional projects in development.

The SFS regularly applies for funding through various national and international financial mechanisms, with a focus on EU co-financing programs such as LIFE, Interreg, Horizon, Norwegian Grants, EUKI, Erasmus+, NextGen, the Cohesion Fund, and others. The SFS has a long-standing tradition of conducting field research and collaborating on project development and implementation in field of:

• forest management and wildlife management planning, close to nature forest management, sustainable use of forest resources and forest ecosystem services
• forest biodiversity conservation, wildlife conservation (large carnivores)
• forest disturbance response, planning and measures
• stakeholder processes and stakeholder participation
• forestry extension and awareness raising (forest pedagogy etc.)

The role of projects at SFS is to:

• transfer adopted policies, strategies, programs, and plans into the public forestry service,
• support and enhance the work of the public forestry service through project initiatives,
• implement long-term systemic solutions within the public forestry service through pilot projects,
• accumulate and expand expert knowledge,
• foster knowledge development and transfer within SFS, to forest owners, and across institutions,
• strengthen cooperation among various stakeholders and promote the forestry profession,
• enhance the international recognition of Slovenian forestry.

If you're interested in exchanging project results, exploring collaborative initiatives, or learning more about our activities, we warmly encourage you to get in touch. Let's join forces to achieve common goals and make a meaningful impact in forest management and conservation.

CONTACT:
Miha Varga
Phone: +386 51 487 734
E-mail: miha.varga@zgs.si