Škocjan Caves Regional Park

Škocjan Caves Regional Park is located in the Škocjan Karst, a vast flat landscape that lies at an elevation between 420 and 450 m in the southeast part of the Karst area. Following its independence, the Slovenia committed itself to protecting the Škocjan Caves area; for this reason, it established Škocjan Caves Regional Park and its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.

The narrow protected area covers 4.15 km² and encompasses the area above Škocjan Caves, the Reka Gorge, and the surrounding collapse dolines. It comprises the villages of Škocjan, Betanja, and Matavun. The area of influence of the park comprises the entire Reka River watershed and covers 450 km². It lies at the extensive junction of the karst and nonkarst areas. At the easternmost border of the area of influence, the 1,796 m Mount Snežnik (Snežnik, Slovenia (mountain))reigns; it is the highest non-alpine mountain in Slovenia.
At first sight, the Škocjan Karst surface appears to be flat, but in reality it is very dynamic. This characteristic landscape that developed in limestones is named karst, derived from the name of the Karst area. The solubility of rocks that form the Earth's surface is the most effective agent of karstification. Falling water in the Karst sinks and drains underground through fissures. The caves are formed in this way; on the surface this occurs in different karst depressions of various sizes. The most frequent karst depressions are sinkholes.

Natural heritage in the protected area is protected by law. In 1996, the following natural phenomena from Škocjan Caves Regional Park were declared to be natural monuments due to their outstanding natural and aesthetic value:

Škocjan Caves, a well-known and well-explored outstanding natural phenomenon, has long been recognized as exceptional due to its extremely varied terrain and exceptionally diverse flora and fauna. Collapse dolines and their surroundings offer shelter to rare and endangered bird species and several bat species, and an extraordinary ecosystem that has developed due to particular geomorphologic and microclimatic conditions has been preserved. The underground is rich with several species of cave animals: both those living on land and those living in water.

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