Postojna-Planina Cave System - Slovenia

Basic Information
Site Name
Postojna-Planina Cave System
Short name
PPCS
Country
Slovenia
Operating Organisation
Site Manager
Site Description
Postojnska jama is a part of the Postojna-Planina cave system (PPCS), the most biologically diverse cave in the world. Postojnska jama is a locus typicus of at least 37 animals, among them also cave beetle Leptodirus hochenwarti, the first recognized cave adapted animal. PPCS consisting of 17 and 6 km of passages, respectively, connected by 2 km of flooded corridors, the PPCS has more known species of stygobionts than any other cave or other subterranean site. The sinking river in the main passages is inhabited by a rich assortment of stygobionts, stygophiles, and accidental surface species. Both streams drain a catchment area of over 800 km2. Above the cave passages is the rich epikarst community. Among the 48 stygobionts is the European cave salamander Proteus anguinus anguinus. Both the snail (8 species) and crustacean (16 species) faunas are rich. The marine origin of some of the stygobiotic species is evident in the hydrozoan Velkovrhia enigmatica and the cirolanid isopod Monolistra racovitzae racovitzae. Three species of the amphipod genus Niphargus as well as populations of Asellus aquaticus were isolated in the cave at different times. The Postojna-Planina Cave is one of the best-studied caves in the world, and parts of it have been heavily visited by tourists since 1818. There are currently installed underground meteorological stations, and sites are defined for permanent water and biodiversity monitoring with the respect to human impact.
Last modified
2024-09-09 10:09:32

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2008
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
ILTER (LTER_EU_SI_002_001)This site is a verified "ILTER" member.
LTER Europe (LTER_EU_SI_002_001)This site is a verified "LTER Europe" member.
LTER Slovenia (LTER_EU_SI_002_001)This site is a verified "LTER Slovenia" member.
Photos
Planina Cave
Planina Cave
Postojna Cave
Postojna Cave
Biological sampling of aquatic species
Biological sampling of aquatic species
Microbioligical sampling for investigation of impact of cave tourism
Microbioligical sampling for investigation of impact of cave tourism
Monitoring of cave climate
Monitoring of cave climate
Cave diving explorations
Cave diving explorations
Zelške jame
Zelške jame
Planina Polje during different seasons of the year
Planina Polje during different seasons of the year
Studying of vegetation characteristics above cave passages of Planina Cave (Slovenian Forestry Institute)
Studying of vegetation characteristics above cave passages of Planina Cave (Slovenian Forestry Institute)
Map of known passages of the Postojna-Planina Cave System (Cave Register, 2022)
Map of known passages of the Postojna-Planina Cave System (Cave Register, 2022)
Geographic
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 45.782493 Longitude: 14.203526

Size
ca. 80000.00ha
Elevation (average)
680.00msl
Elevation (min)
450.00msl
Elevation (max)
1800.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml]
Boundaries [.shp] [.kml]