Projects / Programmes
Feasibility study of land operations execution in the protected and protective areas
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.17.00 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Geodesy |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| P515 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Geodesy |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 2.07 |
Engineering and Technology |
Environmental engineering
|
Agricultural land, land operations, land consolidation, agro-melioration, hydro-melioration, protected areas, optimisation, land management, rural development, spatial interventions
Researchers (21)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
Land fragmentation of agricultural holdings and for the agricultural production unsuitable soil, topographic and water conditions of agricultural land are serious obstacles for development of agriculture, negatively influencing rural and regional development in general. Land operations might be one of the key contributions to long-term sustainable agriculture, improvement of food security and rural development. Land operations have been an important instrument of rural development for over a century throughout Europe. In addition to the efforts aimed at making agriculture and forestry more competitive through a comprehensive reallocation process, improvement of road and drainage networks, landscaping, environmental management, conservation projects, and other functions may be implemented by land operations. Modern approaches to land operations are trying to consider the needs of agricultural sector by parallel consideration and conservation of natural ecosystems. In European countries with a long tradition of land operations the non-agricultural aims have been included in land operations for decades, the goals of land operations are beyond the narrow agricultural needs. In Slovenia such approaches have not come in to the practice yet. In the last decades, the extent and intensity of different forms of degradation of the environment have proven the need to follow the guidelines of the long-term sustainability in all fields of human activities in the space. Consequently, the importance of the environmental protection policy has been increasing throughout the world and a special attention has been given to the land respectively land management. The vital role of land for prosperity of individuals and the society is the main reason why land management and thus also the procedures of planning and executing of land operations measures are to be regulated. A special challenge is referred to the possibilities of planning and executing of land operations in the protected and protective areas, where different, sometimes also contradictory, sectorial interests of protection.
The research project is focused on measures of land rearrangements respectively land operations according to the Slovenian Agricultural land act, which includes a simple rearrangements of land parcel and land ownership structures as well more complex land consolidations, agro-meliorations and hydro-meliorations. The aim of the project is to analyse various legal regimes and other legally binding acts concerning rural areas, setting up directives and conditions for implementation of certain types of land management instruments on protected and protective areas in particular according to the Spatial Planning Act, Agricultural Land Act, Nature conservation act, Environment Protection Act, Water act, Energy act and Cultural Heritage Protection Act. The analyses will take into consideration the fact that land use is dependent also on ownership structure and its changes in spatial domain; land operations improve the utilization of rural land and land consolidation itself can influence the land use immense. Simultaneous planning and implementation of more than one land operation (for instance land consolidation and irrigation system) significantly reduces the costs which in consequence means faster, transparent and cheaper solution. For that reason it is important to plane land operations on rural and related land comprehensively with the respect of guidelines for sustainable spatial development with coordination of several sectorial interests and limitations.
Land operations concerning protected and protective areas worldwide and in Slovenia represent special professional challenge. Each of protection measures contains specific land use and land planning limitations. As a result of the project the overview of legal regimes and other restrictions in rural space of Slovenia will be given, which influence the content and possibilities for implementation of land operation
Significance for science
System analyses of main limitations and feasibility study of land operations’ execution as regards to the type of the protected area are important foundations for different, development-oriented approaches to planning of land operations in the protected agricultural areas. The holistic approach is emphasized, when planning changes in the agricultural landscape; based on the problem analyses, different measures of agrarian operations were studied which might be combined, and different, sometimes also conflicting, interests might be harmonized. The protected areas are treated as a challenge for land operations planning and execution, and land operations are defined as challenge for active protection of recognized values in the agrarian landscape, by parallel improvement of conditions for agricultural production and rural development. The results of the project will contribute to legal framework and good practices in Slovenia in the field of agrarian (land) operations. At the same time, the international contribution of this project is foreseen, where interdisciplinary approach to sustainable land use planning and solving of land use conflicts in the agrarian areas is emphasized. The emphasis of the results and guidelines are on interdisciplinary approach and holistic spatial development (land use planning). Project results and guidelines for sustainable land operations will be included in the pedagogical and research process at the University of Ljubljana, in particular at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering and Biotechnical faculty, at the interdisciplinary doctoral study Environmental protection (University of Ljubljana), as well as in the lectures of guest professors at the foreign universities (members of the project team).
Significance for the country
As it was foreseen in the project documentation, the main aim of the project was to prepare guidelines and proposals for amendments of the legislations in the field of agrarian (land) operations in Slovenia. The results will be interesting also for experts, who are working on legislation in the other, but correlated fields, such as the fields of spatial planning and construction. The members of the project are already included in some expert groups of the Slovenian government, that are responsible for evaluation and updates of field legislation. Parallel to the project, the Rural Development Program of the Republic of Slovenia 2014-2020 (RDP) was being prepared, where project results of the individual project phases were used at the agricultural ministry, who was responsible for RDP. Although this was only one-year project, in intensive cooperation between the project group and ministry, responsible for agriculture, has been developed. Among the others, the project team was included in preparation of amendments of the Agricultural Land Act, and in promotion of new measures within RDP 2014-2020 in the fields of investments in the land operations. Beside academic institutions, the private surveying company, which is actively involved in several projects of land operations, was involved in the project as project partner. The main idea of such an approach is on execution of problem study (study cases from the practice), as well as on knowledge exchange (transfer) between academia and private sector. An important emphasize was also on feasibility study of land operations’ execution within the RDP 2014-2020. Furthermore, knowledge transfer is foreseen through professional associations in the fields of land surveying, agronomy and spatial planning. Here, members of project team are getting an important role from the perspective of dialog development among professionals who are working in the above mentioned fields; this is of high importance for development of goods practices in the fields of agricultural land management and rural development in the protected areas. Presentation of project results at different national and international forums might significantly contribute to professional solutions and compromises between different sectors that are targeted by land operations in the rural areas.
Most important scientific results
Final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report
