They are organized in local groups, dealing with local problems, and through cooperation they are able to have an impact on the national level. NGOs can act between the state and local level in cooperation with the media through publishing articles and studies and increasing environmental consciousness. The relationship between the politicians and scientists depends on the political climate. The NGOs and experts are not involved enough in the discussion of environmental issues. The environmental awareness of the public in Slovenia is relatively high.
People accept that nature and environment have to be preserved.
However, the decrease in the standard of living contributes to the lowering of environmental interest. A great number of NGOs are working quite efficiently, but the public is not open to solutions which involve a sacrifice on their behalf. This attitude is caused by earlier experiences when environmental issues were misused and manipulated. They have no real experience of successful environmental projects. Sometimes environmental issues are used by the local communities and parties as tools in political battles.