The Temenica Habitat is located in the Dolenjska region, not far from Novo Mesto, and extends over an area of 156.03 hectares (1,560,300 m²). The Temenica Habitat is part of the Natura 2000 network.
There are 38 Natura 2000 areas in Dolenjska, together covering more than 40% of the Southeast Slovenia statistical region. All the municipalities of Southeast Slovenia are included in Natura 2000 protected areas. Natura 2000 is a Europe-wide network of special protection areas for the preservation of wildlife, flora and rare or endangered natural habitats. The European Union launched Natura 2000 as one of the important elements of implementation of the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive.
The Temenica Habitat is named after the river Temenica, the lower course of which (also known as the Prečna) flows past the Temenica Habitat across Zaloško Polje before joining the Krka as a left tributary near Češča Vas. The Temenica is also the border between the municipalities of Straža and Novo Mesto.
Along with the Ljubljanica and the Reka, the Temenica is considered one of the most typical sinking streams of Slovenia’s karst topography. A good part of the river flows through the hidden karst underworld, which may be the origin of the river’s name (the Slovene word temen means “dark”). Its slope decreases sharply in the first three kilometres. The basin of the Temenica is relatively asymmetrical, with larger affluents only in its upper course. The river is almost 28 kilometres long. The valley of the Temenica runs in a north–south direction. The Temenica is a sinking stream that rises in Bukovica (below Obolno) at an elevation of 550 metres above sea level and disappears underground twice. For the most part it flows over limestone and dolomite. It sinks for the first time near Dolenje Ponikve, where it flows into several swallow holes. It re-emerges as the Zijalo spring in Mirna Peč Valley, below the hill of Sveta Ana (St Anne). It then flows through the valley to ponors near Goriška Vas, where it disappears underground for a second time. The third and final spring of the Temenica is at Luknja, near Prečna, just a few metres before the start of the Temenica Habitat to the north-west.
This last section of the river flows past the Temenica Habitat across Zaloško Polje before flowing into the Krka as a left tributary at Češča Vas, at an elevation of 170 metres. As already mentioned, the course of the Temenica also forms the border between the municipalities of Straža and Novo Mesto.
The Temenica Habitat is home to numerous animal and plant species and an interesting experience for all who enjoy observing and experiencing nature. More than 300 animal species and more than 500 different plant species live in the Temenica Habitat, together comprising a diverse and extraordinarily rich ecosystem.
Two important animals in the Temenica Habitat, protected under Natura 2000, are the European pond turtle and the Eurasian otter. The first written accounts of the presence of marsh turtles in the area date from 1689 (Johann Weichard Valvasor). The area is also inhabited by the Eurasian beaver. The presence of the latter is revealed by stacked branches, gnawed tree trunks and beaver trails at several points on the riverbanks. The habitat is also home to a diverse community of birds (including pheasants), insects, fish and many other species. The most notable plants in the habitat are the silver fir, the field maple and the box elder or ashleaf maple.
The Temenica Habitat is also presented via a mobile app called E-Guide T, which allows visitors to explore paths through the habitat, which are displayed on a map. It also provides descriptions of the plants and animals living in the habitat, accompanied by photographs taken in the area itself, along with GPS coordinates, in this way enabling visitors to know which animals and/or plants can be found in their precise location.