Conservation of biodiversity in an agricultural landscape is one of the key environmental challenges. In Europe, we have been faced with the decline in biodiversity in the agricultural landscape, for decades now. Extensive grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in Europe, as their existence is dependent upon sustainable, moderate land use. At the same time, these are one of the most diverse areas, but unfortunately, their value is often overseen.

The aim of the international conference is to promote the long-term multifunctional use of grasslands, networking of experts and the exchange of experience and knowledge in multifunctional management of grasslands, including all challenges of modern agricultural practices. The conference will also present grasslands potentials in the context of product production and promotion of tourism. We are aware that only through the support of active sustainable farming the biodiversity of grasslands can be preserved.

The conference is organized as part of the LIFE project “LIFE Conservation and Management of Dry Grasslands in Eastern Slovenia (LIFE14 NAT / SI / 000005).

Conference languages are Slovene and English. Simultaneous translation Slovene/English will be provided.

The first day, the 15^th of May 2019, a pre-conference excursion will be organized to Haloze, where we will visit orchid-rich dry grasslands on calcareous soil. We will also visit Life to grassland projects’ actions and their results. The second day, the 16^th of May 2019, the conference will focus on the exchange of experience in long-term multifunctional management of grasslands along with all the challenges. The last day of the conference, 17^th of May 2019, as a support to preserving sustainable farming, the potential that grasslands present in the context of the development of products and brands, will be emphasized. In the afternoon a post-conference visit to “Dobrote slovenskih kmetij” (Specialities of Slovene farms) will be organized. The event has a long history as an evaluation exhibition of specialties from Slovene farms (namely bread and desserts, dairy and meat products, oils, dried fruit, spirits, canned vegetables).

Conference programme
Please see full invitation in the attached document Invitation International conference Ptuj 2019

Registration
The registration is open, please fill in the application form (at the bottom of the text about the conference).
For more information regarding the registration, please send an e-mail to andreja.roznik@zrsvn.si .
The conference has no conference fee, but has a limited number of available seats. Please register in time.

Abstract submission
Instructions for preparation of abstracts are available Instruction for speakers
Abstract submission deadline – 15th of March 2019 – CLOSED

Important dates
Registration deadline for conference – 30th of April 2019 – CLOSED

Conference venue and accommodation
The International Conference will be held at the Grand Hotel Primus, in Slovenian oldest city – Ptuj (Pot v Toplice 9, 2251 Ptuj, Slovenia https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/terme-ptuj/accommodation/grand-hotel-primus ).
The organizer “booked” the rooms for the conference, so your own booking, for the duration of the conference, is not possible. Please inform us if you would like to book the room and we will add you to the hotel room.
If you do not prefer to book the room at the Grand Hotel Primus, we have prepared a set of nearby accommodations for you.
The document with prices and accommodations is available here: Prices and accommodations

Organizer and Contact persons
Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for nature conservation, Nika Debeljak PhD , nika.debeljak@zrsvn.si

Report from the conference and presentations from lecturers

The international conference titled “Challenges and opportunities in multifunctional management of grasslands” was held between 15. and 17. of May, within the project LIFE TO GRASSLANDS. The purpose of the conference was to encourage long term multifunctional grassland management, networking of experts and to exchange knowledge and experience about sustainable grassland management, including all the challenges of modern farm practises. Over 110 people from 6 countries attended the conference on 16. 5. and all together over 240 in three day period, in which the conference took place.

On the introductory day of the conference on May 15, we organized an excursion to the Haloze project subarea, aimed at presenting the cultural landscape and biodiversity of the project subarea to the participants and presenting project actions in the field.

The second day of the conference took place in Grand hotel Primus in Ptuj. Welcome speeches were held by:

• dr. Marko Maver, State Secretary from Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning,
• mag. Marjeta Bizjak, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food,
• mag. Hrvoje Teo Oršanič, director of Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation,
• Marjan Kolarič, the mayor of Ptuj municipality.

You can find an extensive report here: 2019_05_15-17_conference_Report of the event.

There were 14 lecturers with presentation on the conference:

• dr. Brendan Dunford, The Burren Programme, Irska – Dunford_presentation
• Popa Razvan Daniel, ADEPT, Romunija – Popa_presentation
• Karel Fajmon, Agencija za ohranjanje narave Češke republike, Češka – Fajmon_presentation
• Dubravka Kranjčević; Park prirode Žumberak -Samoborsko gorje, Hrvaška – Kranjcevic_presentation
• dr. Nika Debeljak, ZRSVN, Slovenija – Debeljak_presentation
• Mojca Kunst, Kozjanski regijski park, Slovenija – Kunst_presentation
• Gregor Domanjko, Krajinski park Goričko, Slovenija – Domanjko_presentation
• Janko Verbič, Kmetijski inštitut Slovenije, Slovenija – Verbic_presentation
• Wolfgang Suske, Suske consulting, Avstrija – Suske_presentation
• Daniel Bogner, Avstrija – Bogner_presentation
• prof. Sonja Škornik, Univerza v Mariboru, FNM, Slovenija – Skornik_ presentation
• Jelka Brdnik, Slovenija, Kmetijsko gozdarski zavod Ptuj, Slovenija – Brdnik_presentation
• Janez Gačnik, Zavod Jabolko, Slovenija – Gačnik_presentation
• Boštjan Kosec, Kmetijsko gozdarska zbornica Slovenije, Slovenija – Kosec_presentation

Presentation of speakers

You are kindly invited!