Challenges for the viticultural landscape - the case of Vipava Hills in Slovenia
Izzivi vinogradniške pokrajine - primer Vipavskega gričevja v Sloveniji

english
slovenian

2023

volume 95, issue 1

cultural landscape   demographic prespective   rural geography   Slovenia   sub-Mediterranean viticulture   sustainable land use

Zveza geografov Slovenije
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The article deals with the Vipava Hills, one of the oldest and still promising Slovenian wine-growing regions. Despite the favourable natural conditions, especially for organic viticulture, a comparison of land use inthe last two decades shows the abandonment and overgrowth of vineyards in the higher, so-called vineyard sites and, on the other hand, their relocation to the bottom of the Vipava Valley, where grape production is intensified. The article discusses the obstacles leading to the unfavourable development trends in the landscape and demography, and proposes measures that could, on the one hand, prevent further abandonment of agricultural land, especially vineyard land, population out-migration and biodiversity decline and, on the other hand, make better use of the advantages of the ideal combination of climatic, lithological and pedological features, the mosaic-like structure of the landscape, the high degree of naturalness, the extensive protected areas of Natura 2000 and, last but not least, the rich cultural heritage of the region.

21.05.2024