The region's development orientation is also demonstrated through the Green Karst brand. The brand represents the vision and values of the region, based on the preservation of the environment and traditions and a wise choice for the future towards sustainable development.

The region has therefore been focusing on sustainable development over the last decade, with the following development guidelines:

• Restructuring the economy to reduce the environmental footprint of so-called mature technologies or industries and services, and creating new green jobs;
• Promoting measures for the social cohesion of the population, including measures to integrate vulnerable groups in work and life and taking into account the principles of intergenerational cooperation;
• Promoting measures for sustainable management and governance of natural resources, in particular Slovenia's strategic resources (water and wood - increasing added value in the forest-wood chain, industrial symbiosis, closing material loopholes);
• Increasing the competitiveness of forestry and the timber industry (more efficient forest management, revitalisation of the timber processing industry, preservation of CO2 sinks);
• Developing responsible tourism, especially in protected and Natura 2000 areas and in rural areas, investing in green infrastructure and nature conservation measures (promoting the creation of local supply chains for tourism);
• Investing in environmental infrastructure (safe drinking water supply, wastewater infrastructure, flood safety, drought, waste management infrastructure, rehabilitation of environmentally degraded areas);
• Security of energy supply by increasing energy efficiency and achieving the highest share of RES use in the EU, a functioning system for developing, financing and implementing energy efficiency investments (energy renovation of public and private buildings and refurbishment of public lighting systems, contracting of savings, technological renovation to increase energy efficiency of enterprises, energy distribution infrastructure);
• Increasing the share of local self-sufficiency and improving the competitiveness of the food processing industry;
• Promoting the diversification of rural activities based on the exploitation of the endogenous resources of the local environment (timber, natural and cultural heritage).

The Primorsko-notranjska region implements the described developmental principles also through its own brand, the Green Karst. The brand presents the vision and values of the region, which are based on the preservation of environment and tradition, and on the decision for the future directed towards sustainable development. 

THE GREEN KARST BRAND

Green Karst is a brand of the Primorsko-notranjska Region and is the result of the cooperation between the municipalities of Bloke, Cerknica, Ilirska Bistrica, Loška dolina, Pivka and Postojna. The brand can be used to promote the municipalities and the geographical region, and to promote or market products and services created in the geographical area of the brand. The brand showcases the focus on sustainable development, maintaining a healthy environment, respecting tradition and promoting education and cooperation.  

The name directly emphasises the key feature of this area – the green karst world. It represents a karst area which is green (wooded) and, therefore, unique in Slovenia. This is why the word “karst” is written in lower case (in Slovenian) as it does not represent the region called Karst, but rather the karst features of the landscape. Therefore, the name most appropriately describes the natural and cultural features and advantages of the region and, at the same time, expresses the region’s development concept, which follows the principles of sustainable development.

The logo simultaneously expresses two aspects of the name Green Karst. The green colour is the symbol of nature, whereas blue is the symbol of wisdom and, indirectly, of development. The “green” element is represented by the upper brushstroke, while the “karst” is represented with the motif of water which shapes the limestone and represents the variety of geological features and the creation of karst phenomena. Since water has shaped the typical world underneath the surface, the blue colour is placed underneath the green. The logo is designed to indicate the intertwinement of the karst world above and below the surface.