Page 112 - Koderman, Miha, and Vuk Tvrtko Opačić. Eds. 2020. Challenges of tourism development in protected areas of Croatia and Slovenia. Koper, Zagreb: University of Primorska Press, Croatian Geographical Society
P. 112
challenges of tourism development in protected areas of croatia and slovenia
(Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve, 2019). Among the reserve’s many fea-
tures are a nature trail with wildlife observation blinds and information
boards, an info centre, guided tours, and activities involving Camargue
horses, which has led to it becoming a popular and highly visited site.
In a survey conducted in 2011, it was found that Škocjanski zatok plays
an important role as a daily recreation and leisure time area for the resi-
dents of Koper, and that the most important motivation among visitors is
to relax in a peaceful natural environment (Brečko Grubar and Kovačič,
2011). In 2018, 7,401 people took part in guided visits to the nature reserve,
while the total number visitors is estimated at over 40,000 (records are not
kept of individual visits) (Lipej, 2019). Like the aforementioned protect-
ed areas, guided tours organised for groups of primary school students,
secondary school students, and day-trippers prevail in Škocjanski zatok.
Thanks to the successful renaturation and management of the wetlands,
the nature reserve is also a destination for expert study tours, and our ob-
servations show that there is also an increasing number of tourists who vis-
it the area by bicycle. The largest proportion of visits consists of locals pur-
suing recreational and leisure activities.
Debeli Rtič Landscape Park
Debeli Rtič Landscape Park was established in 2018 by an ordinance of the
Municipality of Ankaran, which became its manager. The park extends
over an area of 340 ha on the Ankaranski polotok (Ankaran Peninsula),
between Zaliv svetega Jerneja at the border with Italy and Valdoltra Bay
where the Valdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital is located (Fig. 2). Apart from
a narrow coastal strip of land, it also comprises a 160 ha of coastline. The
protected area boasts a variety of natural assets, such as cliffs, underwater
reefs, an oak forest, a botanical garden near the Red Cross Slovenia Youth
Health and Summer Resort, and beds of marine flowering plants. The area
of the landscape park is also an ecologically important area and a Natura
2000 site.
The Park is divided into three conservation areas, with the two (strict-
er) conservation areas comprising a strip of land closer to the sea and a
strip of coastal water, and the third conservation area (of a lesser level of
protection) comprising the populated and agriculturally exploited ridge
of the Peninsula (Debeli rtič Landscape Park, 2019). There are no data on
the number of visitors, as the protected area is new and there are no guid-
ed tours. According to observations, the area is highly visited during the
110
(Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve, 2019). Among the reserve’s many fea-
tures are a nature trail with wildlife observation blinds and information
boards, an info centre, guided tours, and activities involving Camargue
horses, which has led to it becoming a popular and highly visited site.
In a survey conducted in 2011, it was found that Škocjanski zatok plays
an important role as a daily recreation and leisure time area for the resi-
dents of Koper, and that the most important motivation among visitors is
to relax in a peaceful natural environment (Brečko Grubar and Kovačič,
2011). In 2018, 7,401 people took part in guided visits to the nature reserve,
while the total number visitors is estimated at over 40,000 (records are not
kept of individual visits) (Lipej, 2019). Like the aforementioned protect-
ed areas, guided tours organised for groups of primary school students,
secondary school students, and day-trippers prevail in Škocjanski zatok.
Thanks to the successful renaturation and management of the wetlands,
the nature reserve is also a destination for expert study tours, and our ob-
servations show that there is also an increasing number of tourists who vis-
it the area by bicycle. The largest proportion of visits consists of locals pur-
suing recreational and leisure activities.
Debeli Rtič Landscape Park
Debeli Rtič Landscape Park was established in 2018 by an ordinance of the
Municipality of Ankaran, which became its manager. The park extends
over an area of 340 ha on the Ankaranski polotok (Ankaran Peninsula),
between Zaliv svetega Jerneja at the border with Italy and Valdoltra Bay
where the Valdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital is located (Fig. 2). Apart from
a narrow coastal strip of land, it also comprises a 160 ha of coastline. The
protected area boasts a variety of natural assets, such as cliffs, underwater
reefs, an oak forest, a botanical garden near the Red Cross Slovenia Youth
Health and Summer Resort, and beds of marine flowering plants. The area
of the landscape park is also an ecologically important area and a Natura
2000 site.
The Park is divided into three conservation areas, with the two (strict-
er) conservation areas comprising a strip of land closer to the sea and a
strip of coastal water, and the third conservation area (of a lesser level of
protection) comprising the populated and agriculturally exploited ridge
of the Peninsula (Debeli rtič Landscape Park, 2019). There are no data on
the number of visitors, as the protected area is new and there are no guid-
ed tours. According to observations, the area is highly visited during the
110
