Green Infrastructure Implementation Programmes at National Level: Case Study “National Project – Support of Biodiversity with Green Infrastructure Elements in Municipalities of Slovakia”

EU-wide strategy promotes the deployment of green infrastructure across Europe. Integrating green infrastructure in spatial planning, policy and strategy development at regional/national levels is the task of each EU member state. The aim of this article is to give an example and evaluate one of the ongoing projects at national level, namely National project – Support of Biodiversity with Green Infrastructure Elements in Municipalities of Slovakia “Green municipalities of Slovakia“. The aim of the national project is to implement green infrastructure at local level through vegetation elements in order to maintain and restore biodiversity and ecosystems outside of protected areas Natura 2000. The programme supporting tree planting in rural municipalities is an important tool for the creation of basic elements of green infrastructure throughout Slovakia. As part of the national program, an implementation plan for 6 municipalities in Slovakia in 2020 is proposed. Subsequently, the implementation projects in terms of the use of vegetation in different categories of green spaces, types of vegetation, representation of tree species, including costs and benefits, are proposed. Based on the results, the potential and limits of the programme and specific suggestions for its further use are set. In 6 municipalities, a total of 17 suitable localities were selected for the project, which is an average of 2.83 localities per municipality. A total of 467 woody plants individuals were proposed, representing a total of 19 woody plants species. The total cost of planting is an average of €12,601.10 per municipality, €7,312.05 per ha of area, and €161.90 per single tree. The average number of trees per ha is 45.15 individuals and per each municipality it is 77.83 trees. In the conclusions, a potential risk of the programme regarding the subsequent maintenance of trees, which is not funded under the program, is highlighted.