| The Speleological Society of Ljubljana, at the forefront of the public campaign for the protection of the northern part of Planinsko polje, forwarded the following message to Slovenia's Minister for the Environment and Spatial Planning, Dr Janez Podobnik, on 24th January 2006. | |
| The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning dr. Janez Podobnik, minister Dunajska 48 1000 Ljubljana |
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| Date: 24th January, 2006 | |
| Topic: The campaign for the protection of Planinsko polje. | |
| During the past few months there has been an increasing number of announcements that preparations to build the European Museum of the Karst in Slovenia are increasing. As a caving society that has, during a rich history since its foundation in 1910, explored much of the karst in Slovenia, we agree whole-heartedly with the desirability of the underlying principle of establishing such a museum. At the same time we are deeply concerned about the lack of suitability of the proposed location of the museum. We have learned from newspaper reports that the instigators of the museum campaign have settled upon a quite extraordinary conception of the museum, summarized by their slogan »exceptional architecture at an exceptional location«. As possible contenders for this »exceptional location« they have chosen two sites on the margins of Planinsko polje. The first one is at the »top of the Walls« just above the ponor area on the northern side of the polje. The other is on the terminal wall of the pocket valley directly above the entrance to Planinska jama. Both sites are, indeed, exceptional, encompassing a variety of medium-scale surface karst phenomena, as well as caves in their general neigbourhood. Building such a museum would not be a merely modest encroachment into the area. The total volume of the proposed building is 11 390m3. By design, 60% of this volume will have to be carved into the natural parent rock of the polje border. Both potential locations lie in relatively intact forests, and the entire infrastructure, including traffic access routes for more than 100 000 visitors per year, is still to be developed. Once established, such an infrastructure would inevitably attract additional exploitation of these remote corners, by those targetting the anticipated concentrations of tourists. Of the two original alternatives the instigators have opted for the site at the »top of the Walls«. Among other reasons this is because legal formalities involved in gaining approval for construction above the entrance to Planinska jama would be more difficult to accomplish. The southern part of Planinsko polje, together with its immediate neighbourhood, belonging to the community of Postojna, has already been given legal protection as a natural monument. Evidently, this complication diverted the main interest towards the site at the »top of the Walls«. The instigators of the EMK plan to establish their construction site, where building machinery will be kept, on the floor of the polje, which is subject to periodic flooding. The building itself, with its glazed galleries, would hang on the polje wall, which would irremediably degrade the extremely vulnerable border of the karst above the ponors. Inevitably the associated infrastructure would interfere with balance of the presently virtually inaccessible forest in the hinterland of the polje. As speleologists, we are especially concerned because a number of caves would be affected to a greater or lesser degree (incidentally, the cave density here is the highest in non-Alpine Slovenia). Extensive construction operations, including activities that would - due to the volume involved - take on the magnitude of quarrying, would also inevitably touch undiscovered underground karst, precipitating unpredictable consequences. The EMK proposal includes management of two well known caves, Vranja and Skednena jama, close to the polje border, as tourist attractions. Whereas these caves are important for cavers and karstologists, they are too small and, more importantly, insufficiently attractive for tourist development to make any sense. In the winter months they are extremely cold (with active polygonal ground in Skednena jama), they contain no significant flowstone formations, and they display no attractions that might justify exploitation for tourism. |
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| The entire area is in a reasonably unspoiled natural condition and hence is extremely important from the viewpoint of environmental protection, as it represents one of the benchmark sites of Slovenian natural heritage. Therefore, it is not surprising that it merits the status of a »protected landscape« of national value and an ecologically valuable area. Even beyond this, it is encompassed within the Natura 2000 territory. | |
| Because it is extremely karstic, this area is also exceptionally vulnerable. The part of the polje that is part of the community of Logatec does not fall under the existing protective regime that would absolutely exclude constructional activity. There is no essential difference between the polje's protected and unprotected parts, and the fact that the northern part of the polje is presently unprotected is an accidental consequence of the polje being shared by two communities. | |
| We are convinced that this extremely cave-rich karst area within our most characteristic karst polje presents qualities that must remain unspoiled. Equally, we are in no doubt that in Slovenia, which is nearly 50% karstic, a more appropriate location can be identified to fulfil the needs of the EMK. Appropriate siting would remove the need to destroy those most beautiful corners of the karst to which a basically natural history oriented museum should be dedicated. To find such a site cannot pose a serious problem. Only good will and common effort are needed. Also, we caution that construction at an inappropriate location would provoke serious opposition, and the basically admirable idea of creating the EMK would lose the support of a large part of the interested community, especially among cavers, environmentalists, karstologists and the local people. All these would present a poor outlook for a project that should rightfully be hailed as truly national. We are in no doubt that the right location for such a prestigeous project should be chosen only after consultation among those with a wide spectrum of interests not only within a narrow group such as the present steering committee of the EMK. | |
| For all these reasons we ask you, as the leader of the Ministry that will grant permission for the construction, to ensure a choice of location that will be acceptable in terms of the protection of caves and the protection of the karst, and would offer no conflict with the comprehensive protection of the environment as a whole. At the same time, as a Society that acts in the public interest on issues of environmental protection, we publicly appeal to you to act immediately to safeguard all Slovenia's irreplacable natural assets, including Planinsko polje and its immediate karst neighbourhood and any caves that lie in its general area, and to give them protection from activities such as those that have been proposed. | |
| Planinsko polje is one of the least desecrated poljes in the whole of the Dinaric karst and its prime value lies in its integrity and entirety. For this reason there is no justification for only part of the polje being protected while, for historical reasons, the other remains at the mercy of developers who have so little feeling for natural protection that they even suggested the possibility of incising a similar construction into the rock wall near the little natural bridge at Rakov ©kocjan. | |
| Drawing upon our combined knowledge of the polje, we are completely ready to take part in the preparation of the proposed protection act. | |
Yours faithfully, Matjaz Pogačnik, President of the DZRJL (Speleological Society of Ljubljana) |
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| To date, 24.07.2008, 730 individuals and organizations have supported the initiative. Add your support... | |
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