Slovenia: A green leader of the European Union
 
Signing the Countdown 2010 Declaration today, Ministers Janez Podobnik and Iztok Jarc reconfirmed their commitment to halting biodiversity loss by 2010.
 
 
16 October 2007,

Ljubljana, Slovenia. With nearly sixty percent of forested area, Slovenia recognizes the value of forests as a natural resource, not only in terms of wood production, but also for their ecological functions and their beauty. Modern “close-to-nature forest management” imitates the natural cycle in forests and the multi-purpose nature of the forests.
When Slovenia takes over the Presidency of the European Union in January 2008, it intends to use its experience to improve forest management. „It is a unique moment to have both the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food committing themselves to work together on the achievement of the 2010 biodiversity target in Slovenia“, said Tamas Marghescu, IUCN Regional Director for Europe.
 
Heads of State from all EU Member States committed to halting biodiversity loss by 2010 at in Gothenburg in 2001. Countdown 2010 is a powerful network of active partners working together towards the target to tackle the causes of biodiversity loss.
 
Sebasitain Winkler, head of Countdown 2010 said about the program: “It provides an ambitious roadmap which can only be achieved by bringing together all sectors of society. Countdown 2010 is an ideal vehicle for furthering implementation and monitoring progress towards the target included in the Operational Program”.