KAZALCI OKOLJA

Environmental indicators in Slovenia


Environmental indicators are based on graphs, maps and assessments and as such present environmental trends in Slovenia. The indicators represent one of the four pillars of our environmental reporting, and are prepared in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. The Environmental Indicators in Slovenia website enables users to browse among 180 indicators. They are based on numerical data and they indicate the state, characteristics and trends of environmental development in Slovenia. They are prepared using a systematic approach based on data and monitoring, as shown in the information pyramid.

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Neutral

Due to high lead content in the environment, the Upper Meža Valley area was declared a brownfield site area in 2007 and underwent special remediation measures with the aim of protecting the health of people, especially children. Data shows that the lead exposure of children in the Upper Meža Valley improved rapidly in the early years of implementing the remediation measures, but no further improvement was observed after 2010. A prevalence study of lead levels in children's blood from the Meža Valley in 2018 even showed higher values compared to a study conducted in 2013.

Good
Sea

Phytoplankton biomass, expressed as chlorophyll a concentration, reflects nutrient loading in the marine environment. Chlorophyll a concentrations shows a trend towards improvement in the status of the Slovenian sea, as the ecological status has been assessed as high or good over the last period.

Good

Deadwood is an important animal and plant habitat that contributes to the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. According to Slovenia Forest Service data, the volume of standing and fallen trees without stumps and branches in 2022 was 21.3 m3/ha, which represented approximately 6% of the entire wood stock of forest stands. In virgin forests, however, the deadwood volume can be even several dozen times greater.

Good
Sea

The quality of bathing water along the Slovenian coast is excellent, which ranks Slovenia at the top among the EU countries.

Good

In the past centuries, forest area has been increasing constantly after 2010; however, the rate of expansion has slowed down and remains relatively stable in recent years. Since 1875, when forests covered only 36% of the Slovenian territory, forest cover has increased to 58.5% in the year 2009 and rests stable today at 58.0 %. In terms of forest share, Slovenia ranks third among EU-28 countries, behind Sweden and Finland.

Good

Energy efficiency in industry has improved significantly over the period 2005–2022, with a 39% increase. The sectors that have contributed the most to this were production of paper, machinery and equipment, chemical industry and production of non-ferrous metals, while the production of steel and non-metallic mineral products have contributed the least.