📋 Tender Overview
The Ministry of Agriculture manages the eForestry project in cooperation with its partners - the Slovenian Forestry Institute and the Slovenian Forestry Institute. It is part of the Digital Transition investment in the field of agriculture, food and forestry as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. With new digital solutions, it brings many benefits to forest owners, the public and the profession.Author: MKM
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Minister of Agriculture Janez Cigler Kralj emphasized the advantages of the project: The eForestry project is not just an information system. It is a systemic digital upgrade of the public forestry service, which brings better data connectivity, less administration, more modern work in the field and better access to information for forest owners. The goal is not more screens or more administration, but better work with forests. Digitization is among the priorities of the ministers mandate.
The eForestry project runs from July 1, 2022 to August 31, 2026, its total value is 9,700,311.34 euros (8,238,753.08 euros from European funds, 1,461,558.26 euros from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia for VAT). The Forestry Institute of Slovenia (ZGS) as the largest partner of the project received 7,594,298.86 euros. More than 90 percent of the funds were earmarked for equipment and development of digital solutions, the rest for improving connectivity, education, training and the like.
ZGS Director Gregor Danev: Digital tools do not replace professional judgement, experience or work in the field. They reduce administration, eliminate duplication of work and enable our experts to devote more time to their core mission: caring for the forest and advising forest owners.
Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovenia, dr. Jerneja Jug Jerse pointed out the importance of European funds for the digital transition: Slovenia allocates 315 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan to the financing of digital public services, which is the fourth highest share among all countries. It thereby supports the double transition to a more resilient economy. Forestry supported by digitization is the foundation of sustainable forest management, the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity, and at the same time it is the driver of competitiveness, resilience and green growth.
Deputy director of the Forestry Institute of Slovenia (GIS), dr. Tom Levanic highlighted the results of the project as an important basis for further integration of expertise, data and digital solutions. These will contribute to a more efficient implementation of the public forestry service, sustainable forest management and a more successful response to future challenges, including climate change and the implementation of European legislation.
Out of a total of eleven digital solutions, ZGS and GIS presented five in detail to the public: eNadzor, eUkrepi, eInventura, eLov and eGozd. Practical demonstrations showed how digitization supports forestry control, the selection of trees for felling, monitoring the state of forests on permanent sample plots, data management in the field of hunting, and access to data (especially decisions) and services by forest owners.
Director of the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Recovery and Resilience, mag. Josip Mihalic emphasized that one of the central goals of the NOOs measures in the field of digitization is to make public administration more accessible. For these purposes, 306 million euros are available as part of the plan, which ends at the end of the year. The state budgeted 24 million euros for the digitization of agriculture as part of the plan, of which around 16 million euros have already been paid out. The projects are in the finalization phase. I am glad that the most financially extensive eForestry project is also among them. I am convinced that the digitized procedures and solutions developed within the framework of this project will significantly contribute to more accessible services, greater transparency and better management of Slovenian forests, he said.
The digital solutions of eForestry are based on Slovenian technology, open standards and open source solutions, so they are resistant to the upheavals that the future may bring in the field of information technologies. We put a lot of emphasis on cyber security and the protection of personal data. We are also particularly proud of the spatial applications for mobile devices, which enable the entire field work in offline mode. The information system is designed in such a way that it will also allow upgrades in the future with the introduction of artificial intelligence tools. Projects such as eForestry strengthen Slovenian technological excellence and ensure that knowledge and capital remain in Slovenia, said Anze Znidarsic, project manager at Flycom, which developed the forestry information system and some key digital eForestry solutions.
The eForestry project thus means not only the end of the development period, but also lays the foundations for the further introduction of modern solutions in Slovenian forestry. In times of climate change, increasing expectations of the public and more demanding management of natural resources, quality and safe data, transparent procedures and expertly supported digital solutions are key to responsible management of Slovenian forests.
