Rado Smerduj award 2025 goes to a great defender of river protection Andreja Slameršek!
The national award in the field of nature conservation was presented to environmentalist Andreja Slameršek at a ceremonial ceremony at Brdo pri Kranju! Andreja is a passionate advocate for the preservation of free-flowing rivers. She has been a driving force behind the campaign Save the Mura! and has successfully fought in court for years against the construction of the Mokrice hydroelectric power plant at the confluence of the Sava and Krka rivers. Her nomination was submitted by the Lutra…
Roundtable on Water Management at the House of the European Union during the opening of the “Guardians of the Rivers” Exhibition
At the opening of the "Guardians of the Rivers" photography exhibition at the House of the European Union in Ljubljana in April 2025, we also held a roundtable titled "Water Management: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?". Brina Sotenšek from the Lutra Institute presented the current environmental legislation, which alarmingly tends toward excluding civil society from legal procedures. It seems that the government is even trying to bypass the results of the so-called water referendum away…
Conversation with Local Activists at Goriška Library During the Opening of the “Guardians of Rivers” Exhibition
At the opening of the photographic exhibition "Guardians of Rivers" in the welcoming setting of the Goriška Franceta Bevka Library in March 2025, we also conducted a conversation with three local environmental activists: Nataša Dominka from Za Čisto Reko Vipava, Mateja Sattler, representative of Eko Anhovo and the Soča Valley, and Mojca Mejak from Eko Bistrc. There were loud warnings that environmental safeguards are falling, making a strong civil society even more important in this area.…
Guardians of Rivers on a visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania
In April Guardians of Rivers team visited several activists for rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania who, in cooperation with local residents, jointly prevented the construction of dozens of small hydropower plants in the region. We have met representatives of various civic initiatives united in the “Coalition for the Protection of the Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, in Serbia with the organization “Studenac Nova Varoš”, in Kosovo with nature conservationists who…
Meeting of river guardians in Matajun
A new meeting of river guardians from all over Slovenia was held in the spirit of connection, exchange of experiences, transfer of knowledge, support and enjoyment in good company. It took place in Matajun in the Karst region. The meeting was primarily devoted to the problem of pollution of Slovenian rivers. The participants, local river activists, as well as experts and representatives of the regional Park Škocjanske jame, learned about problems in local environments and possible solutions. In…
Documentary movie “Community”
We are happy to share with you a short documentary movie “Community” which describes joint efforts to protect rivers in the Balkans, where civil society (activists, conservationists, villagers, etc.) work in difficult conditions (physical violence, political threats and lawsuits from investors.) Movie shows examples of good practices, persistence and real victories in several countries, especially when it comes to preventing the construction of hydroelectric power stations. Part of the film was…
The opening of Guardians of the Rivers exhibition in Knežak
The group photography exhibition Guardians of the Rivers returned to the vicinity of the Reka river. The exhibition traveled to Knežak at the invitation of photographer Stojan Spetič, who photographed a group of elementary school girls for the exhibition, and FotoKlub Sušec Ilirska Bistrica. The opening coincided with the celebration of the birthday of the poet Dragotin Kette, which marked the beginning of the month of culture in the municipality of Ilirska Bistrica. The exhibition will be on…
Children’s play “A Pledge to the river” back to primary schools
The interactive children's play A Pledge to the river, which educates younger schoolchildren about the significance of river protecting, has returned to primary schools. This time we visited Košana Elementary School and Anton Žnideršič Elementary School in Ilirska Bistrica. Visits to elementary schools are held in collaboration with the Škocjanske Jame Park.
Public guidance at the Guardians of the Rivers exhibition at Ljubljana Castle
On the Slovenian National Day of Culture, we conducted public guidance of the group photography exhibition Guardians of the Rivers. The artist Špela Kaplja told the audience how to connect profoundly with rivers and the project’s producer Alja Bulič revealed the stories behind the photos.