The ecological footprint as an indicator that monitors the consumption of natural
resources and compares it with their availability is also applicable at regional level.
However, its application is limited by calculation methods that do not include national
data or only to a limited extent. The main objective of this dissertation is to develop a
method for calculating the ecological footprint of Slovenian regions based on local
(national and regional) data. The approach is based on existing and internationally
recognized methods adapted to the Slovenian context.
The ecological footprint of Slovenian regions was calculated using a hybrid approach
that combines bottom-up approach (especially for the carbon footprint) with top-down
approach. The calculations are based on data from the Statistical Office of the Republic
of Slovenia, which are not entirely statistically reliable, which affects the robustness of
the results. Despite these limitations, the study shows the applicability of the developed
method, which enables regular ecological footprint assessments for Slovenian
statistical regions and supports regional development planning.
Significant differences in ecological footprint values were found between regions, partly
due to data limitations. The highest Footprint was found in the Pomurska region (6.26
gha/capita) and the lowest in the Zasavska region (4.31 gha/capita). Housing,
transportation and food account for the largest share of the Footprint, while forests
(72.3%) and arable land (16.4%) contribute the most to biocapacity. The Primorskonotranjska region has the highest biocapacity per capita (7.62 gha/capita), while the
Osrednjeslovenska region has the lowest (1.09 gha/capita), resulting in the highest
ecological deficit. Primorsko-notranjska is the only region with an ecological surplus.
In this dissertation, we developed a method for calculating the ecological footprint and
biocapacity at the level of statistical regions, including direct calculations for key
COICOP categories. The first hypothesis was partially confirmed, as the ecological
footprint method was successfully adapted to allow bottom-up calculations; however,
due to limited data availability, these currently cover only part of the total ecological
footprint. The second hypothesis was rejected, as no statistically significant differences
were found in the ecological footprint values between the two cohesion regions, which
also applies to the ecological deficit. The developed method makes an important
contribution to advancing geographical approaches for spatial monitoring and
assessment of environmental pressures and sustainable development. It enables the
identification of regional differences and their connection with developmental and
spatial characteristics, thereby strengthening the applied value of geographical
analyses in the formulation of regional and sustainability policies.
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