The Julian Alps Italian Biosphere
Reserve, located in Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the Julian Alps
Slovenian Biosphere Reserve, located in the neighboring Republic
of Slovenia, have been officially recognized by UNESCO as the
"Julian Alps Transboundary Biosphere Reserve."
This recognition, obtained recently in Agadir, Morocco,
celebrates the Julian Alps "as a unique mountain range
characterized by a high degree of naturalness and inhabited by
populations eager to preserve and promote their identity."
"A significant milestone for our Julian Prealps Nature Park and
the Triglav National Park," commented Stefano Santi, director of
the Friulian Park, "which are the coordinators of their
respective national biosphere reserves. It is the result of a
fruitful and long-standing collaboration and friendship."
UNESCO has 748 Biosphere Reserves worldwide, of which only 23
are transboundary. The Julian Alps were already recognized as
separate Biosphere Reserves in Slovenia in 2003 and Italy in
2019. Today, this artificial division is overcome with the
recognition of the new Julian Alps Transboundary Biosphere
Reserve, encompassing 277,000 hectares.
The director of the Triglav National Park, Tit Potočnik, and
the president of the Julian Prealps Nature Park, Annalisa Di
Lenardo, also emphasized how this recognition is the result of a
strong bond of friendship between the communities of the Julian
Alps and can provide an opportunity to address future challenges
affecting the two territories jointly.
Meanwhile, the Julian Prealps Regional Nature Park and the
Triglav National Park continue collaborating within the Julian
Alps Transboundary Ecoregion. This summer, the synergy will be
celebrated with the images from the "Magical Nature" exhibition,
which will be inaugurated on July 12 in Prato di Resia at the
Park's Visitor Center and remain open until August 18. The
exhibition features photos from an international competition
organized by the Slovenian National Institute of Biology as part
of the European project "Life Naturaviva. Biodiversity art of
life."
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