Earth Day: Geosphere management reflects our attitude towards the planet

SLOVENIA, April 22 - The Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning organised the event at the Rog Centre in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Slovenia and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering of the University of Ljubljana.  The geosphere – as a source of strategic and critical raw materials – is the foundation of the digital and green transformation in the light of decarbonisation and a just transition.  At the same time it represents a challenge in terms of understanding and systemic action, particularly in the context of climate change and related phenomena.

The Earth Day event of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to the often-overlooked foundations of our environment: the soil, the rocks and the physical space that are shaped by human intervention.

In his opening remarks, Jože Novak, Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, said: "We are aware that natural disasters have become a new reality that we must learn to live with. That is why it is all the more important to prepare for them – by ensuring that strong systemic frameworks, a legal basis and appropriate plans are in place." He stressed that in the past, we often acted too late or paid too little attention to the normative aspect of landslide management, but that this is now changing.

"Climate change is particularly intense in Slovenia, and effective, tailored spatial planning and bold regulation of water infrastructure have a key role to play in this regard. They can help prevent major risks and improve the resilience of our settlements," added Minister Novak.

The Director of the Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dr Miloš Bavec, highlighted the importance of collecting and making data on the geosphere available. "We are witnessing increasing pressure on the Earth's subsurface from various interests – from infrastructure and energy projects to subsurface storage and other spatial interventions. Access to data on the geosphere is particularly important in areas such as sustainable mineral resource management, 3D spatial planning, seismic safety assessments, geothermal energy potential assessments and groundwater management," Dr Bavec stressed, adding: "Unfortunately, compared to other EU countries, Slovenia lacks a systematic collection of geological data, which should be public and accessible. As the national geological institute, the Geological Survey of Slovenia is already building a database of geological data, interpreting the information and making it available to the public through various applications such as e-Plaz, eGeologija, Geological field observatories and the Mining Registry Book.   

Erosion phenomena and landslides: warning maps, regulation, alerts and remedial measures

Jernej Jež and Dr Mateja Jemec Auflič from the Geological Survey of Slovenia gave a detailed presentation on the warning maps of the probability of slope mass movements, which serve as the basis for land use planning. The collection of data on slope mass movements is particularly important for sound spatial planning, disaster protection and prevention, damage assessment, forecasting, early warning and risk management.

Dr Leon Gosar presented the role of the Slovenian Water Agency in spatial planning in landslide-prone areas. The Slovenian Water Agency has published warning maps of the probability of landslides and rockslides at a scale of 1:25,000 for the areas of 95 municipalities. The maps are available for consultation on the Atlas voda (Water Atlas) portal, for download on the eVode (eWaters) portal and on the Slovenian INSPIRE metadata system portal. An annex to the General Guidelines on Water Management has also been published. The annex provides guidance on the use of warning maps in spatial planning in areas prone to landslides and rockslides. It contains a chapter with guidelines for preparing documentation in procedures for drafting spatial planning documents, as well as a chapter with guidelines for preparing documentation in procedures for obtaining design conditions, water consent and an opinion on the acceptability of construction from a water management perspective.

In the context of systemic regulation, the issue of landslides is addressed through the implementation of geotechnical measures to protect property – primarily buildings. In Slovenia, systemic measures have been put in place to address seven large-scale landslides that occurred in 2000 and 2001, as well as landslides detected and recorded in the damage assessment of individual large-scale natural disasters, in accordance with the Natural Disaster Recovery Act, provided that the natural disaster causes damage greater than 3‰ of state budget revenue. For 2025, this threshold is approximately EUR 5 million.

Ervin Vivoda, Director of the Office for Natural Disaster Recovery at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, pointed out that landslide remediation is the most challenging of the recovery measures, as it requires preliminary geotechnical and geological investigations, the preparation of appropriate design documentation, as well as substantial financial resources. "It is necessary to establish a strategy for action and management in the event of landslides, as the phenomenon is fundamentally different in nature from other types of natural hazards," Vivoda pointed out.

Purpose of the strategy:

• Establishing, managing and maintaining a single soil instability register for Slovenia;
• Establishing a common methodology for evaluating and classifying soil instability phenomena according to the urgency of remediation;
• Providing financial resources from the state budget for the implementation of remediation according to defined priorities – order of priority;
• Establishing a national landslide monitoring network, which captures and stores data on soil instability phenomena and whose databases must be publicly accessible;
• Adopting restrictive legal regimes for at-risk areas to prevent an increase in potential damage in the area concerned.

Groundwater is part of the water cycle and an energy resource

Dr Nina Mali stressed the importance of protecting and safeguarding groundwater, which is an important part of the water cycle. Groundwater quality is affected by urbanisation, agriculture, industry and climate change, which is why geological and hydrogeological data systems are particularly important to increase the accuracy and reliability of assessments of groundwater status.

Dr Nina Rman presented the role of data in improving the management and use of geothermal energy. "There is a growing need for an energy transformation that addresses the use of geothermal energy," she pointed out. However, efficient and increased use of geothermal energy requires the systematic collection and publication of all geological and geothermal data.

Earthquake activity in Slovenia

Dr Jure Atanackov from the Geological Survey of Slovenia presented the database of fault seismogenic sources, which also provides geological input data for the new earthquake hazard map of Slovenia, currently under development. 

Mining: extraction of mineral resources and development opportunities presented by the abandonment of mining operations

Dr Gorazd Žibret from the Geological Survey of Slovenia explained the importance of critical mineral resources for a sustainable future and the green and digital transition. He presented the key aspects of the national programmes for the general exploration of critical raw materials and carrier minerals of critical raw materials, the preparation of which is mandated for Member States by the European Regulation establishing a framework to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, which promotes the sustainable and responsible use of natural resources. He also presented the proposal for the Slovenian National Programme for the General Exploration of Critical Raw Materials and Carrier Minerals of Critical Raw Materials, the preparation of which has been entrusted to the Geological Survey of Slovenia by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning.

Žiga Hrib from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning outlined the procedures for the abandonment of mining operations, as laid down in the Mining Act: when the procedure for abandoning mining operations can be initiated, what conditions the former holder of the mining right must fulfil, and when a decision on the termination of rights and obligations can be issued. This is followed by the technical and biological rehabilitation of the extraction area and the establishment of the conditions for the new use of the area.

"The abandonment of mining operations provides an opportunity for new activities and development programmes," Hrib stressed. The most common examples of new land uses in Slovenia include the establishment of industrial and craft zones, sports and recreational facilities, water bodies such as gravel pits, and agricultural areas.

Ana Burger, associate at the Geological Survey of Slovenia, presented the Mining Registry Book, which consists of a database of mining data, records and various applications for preparing and submitting applications, and forms provided for by the Mining Act, and outlined its purpose and use in planning and control of mining activities.

Geosphere: legal regulation and information systems

Dr Lidija Globevnik, Director General of the Water Directorate at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, highlighted the integrated management of the geosphere as one of the four systems of our planet – alongside the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere – and its role in avoiding or at least reducing the risk of natural disasters.

Landslide and erosion management is one of the central challenges in spatial planning in Slovenia. Modern approaches include:

• use of satellite and LIDAR data;
• systematic hazard mapping;
• classification of risk areas;
• integration of spatial data into decision-making processes.

Key measures include avoiding construction in hazardous areas (such as flood- or landslide-prone zones), sustainable forest management, sustainable agriculture, and the establishment of a system for monitoring, alerts and timely public information.

"Since water is the main trigger of landslides and erosion, knowledge of water phenomena is crucial to understanding and managing these risks," stressed Dr Globevnik.