In the final days of September, we were visited for two days by Ms Ana Klenovšek, the project advisor at the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), and the project monitor, Dr Mitja Kaligarič. This was the final visit of its kind, as the LIFE FOR SEEDS project comes to an end in December 2026.

The first day of the visit was dedicated to a detailed review of the work carried out under the individual actions. The review was complemented by a presentation of various educational and promotional materials produced as part of the project. The project is progressing smoothly and is on schedule, and we have already achieved most of the targets set in terms of the number of accessions, meadow restoration, development of conservation measures, and educational and promotional content. At the end of the first day, we also discussed administrative and financial matters.

On the second day, we began our meeting at the Jablje Infrastructure Centre, managed by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. We viewed all the equipment and infrastructure purchased or established as part of the project, including an optical seed cleaner and pre-cleaner, a brush harvester, small equipment for seed cleaning, as well as drying and freezing chambers. To round off the visit, we also visited the seed-crop plots established as part of the EIP KOŠEK project, whose activities complement and build upon those of LIFE FOR SEEDS.

We then continued to Zgornja Radovna, where the Triglav National Park Public Institute has restored two overgrown hummocky meadows by sowing seed mixtures. Tanja Menegalija from the park presented their original condition, the restoration methods used, the obstacles encountered along the way, and their current management. Hummocky meadows are a geomorphological feature of the Alpine region; more than 90% of them were levelled in the past because they were difficult to cut, while many of those that remained became overgrown with woody vegetation.

After an excellent traditional lunch, we visited the educational point at the Pocar Farmstead, where children can try their hand at a memory game featuring characteristic plant species, examine seeds of different species under a magnifying glass, and deepen their knowledge of extensively managed meadows through an educational exhibition. We rounded off the visit with a premiere screening of a short film about hummocky meadows, produced as part of the project.