Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
Gorièko is in the north-easternmost part of Slovenia, on the border with Austria and Hungary. It is a mainly hilly region of Eocene sandstone, traversed by numerous streams, and with lower and flatter land in the eastern part where riverine vegetation and wet meadows are present. In summer the area is very dry. The soil in the east is not fertile, so farming is non-intensive, but is much more fertile in the west, where orchards, vineyards, dry grasslands and small cultivated fields are the main land-uses. Small settlements are common. The area is economically less developed and therefore habitats and wildlife remain in good condition.
The traditionally managed habitats support important numbers of several SPECs, as well as many more in less significant numbers, e.g.
Coracias garrulus,
Lanius minor,
Phoenicurus phoenicurus, some of which may meet IBA criteria once quantitative surveys have been made.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threat is the abandonment of traditional, non-intensive agricultural land-use, which may lead to a decline in numbers of some birds, as would any intensification of farming (e.g. use of pesticides, drainage, and renovation of old orchards). The fauna and flora have not been surveyed in detail, and intensive field surveys are needed to provide quantitative and qualitative bird population data. The non-intensive farming seems of great importance in conserving old varieties of fruit trees and nationally threatened arable weeds.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Goričko (Slovenia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/goričko-iba-slovenia on 23/11/2024.
