Page 217 - 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. 217
the interrelation between development, management, and management issues ...
The area of the Park, however, is increasingly threatened due to an ex-
plosion in the number of visitors over the last 20 years (Sremac et al., 2011).
Due to this, it is crucial to consider possibilities for managing all elements
of the Park with the goal of sustainable development on all levels. The un-
derlying phenomenon that created the park (tufa formation) is a result of a
process of strictly-determined interactions of physio-chemical and biologi-
cal factors of the unique karst aquifer, climatic conditions of the current in-
terglacial period, and the generally-undisturbed natural balance (Stilinović
and Božičević, 1998). The formation of tufa is an extremely sensitive pro-
cess, which can be halted by changes in the environment and environmen-
tal conditions, as well as by natural and anthropogenic influences.
For the aforementioned reasons, the need to protect this particular
phenomenon became apparent very early (Pevalek, 1924; 1935; 1938; Petrik,
1958; Stilinović and Božićević, 1998). The area of the Park encompasses
Plitvice Lakes and the surrounding landscape. Over the last two centuries,
the landscape of the park itself has been significantly altered to accommo-
date modern leisure activities (tourism, recreation, transport) and other
anthropogenic activities. Indicators of long-term settlement are the numer-
ous deforested areas, which took shape in the period from the 17th century
to the end of the Second World War (Marković, 2015). In keeping with con-
temporary trends of rural depopulation, protected areas (which are often
in zones of rural periphery settlements) are becoming predominantly tour-
ist settlements as tourism strengthens (Lukić, 2012), which is out of synch
with the status of the periphery. This has happened in the area of Plitvice
Lakes, where intense tourism development has contributed to the stagnat-
ing number of residents in the area around the Park itself.
The lifecycle of tourism in Plitvice Lakes National Park
Starting in the mid-20th century (with the exception of wartime disconti-
nuity), the development of the Park, its wider area, and the corresponding
socio-economic region took place under the dominant influence of tour-
ism. An indicative fact linked to economic characteristics is how, in 2018,
there were 768 full-time employees of the Park, while there were between
130 and 250 temporary employees (depending on seasonal needs) (Plitvice
Lakes National Park, 2019), making the Park the largest employer in Lika-
Senj County.
In keeping with the aforementioned, further development of the Park
should be regarded in the context of development that has (with minor dis-
215
The area of the Park, however, is increasingly threatened due to an ex-
plosion in the number of visitors over the last 20 years (Sremac et al., 2011).
Due to this, it is crucial to consider possibilities for managing all elements
of the Park with the goal of sustainable development on all levels. The un-
derlying phenomenon that created the park (tufa formation) is a result of a
process of strictly-determined interactions of physio-chemical and biologi-
cal factors of the unique karst aquifer, climatic conditions of the current in-
terglacial period, and the generally-undisturbed natural balance (Stilinović
and Božičević, 1998). The formation of tufa is an extremely sensitive pro-
cess, which can be halted by changes in the environment and environmen-
tal conditions, as well as by natural and anthropogenic influences.
For the aforementioned reasons, the need to protect this particular
phenomenon became apparent very early (Pevalek, 1924; 1935; 1938; Petrik,
1958; Stilinović and Božićević, 1998). The area of the Park encompasses
Plitvice Lakes and the surrounding landscape. Over the last two centuries,
the landscape of the park itself has been significantly altered to accommo-
date modern leisure activities (tourism, recreation, transport) and other
anthropogenic activities. Indicators of long-term settlement are the numer-
ous deforested areas, which took shape in the period from the 17th century
to the end of the Second World War (Marković, 2015). In keeping with con-
temporary trends of rural depopulation, protected areas (which are often
in zones of rural periphery settlements) are becoming predominantly tour-
ist settlements as tourism strengthens (Lukić, 2012), which is out of synch
with the status of the periphery. This has happened in the area of Plitvice
Lakes, where intense tourism development has contributed to the stagnat-
ing number of residents in the area around the Park itself.
The lifecycle of tourism in Plitvice Lakes National Park
Starting in the mid-20th century (with the exception of wartime disconti-
nuity), the development of the Park, its wider area, and the corresponding
socio-economic region took place under the dominant influence of tour-
ism. An indicative fact linked to economic characteristics is how, in 2018,
there were 768 full-time employees of the Park, while there were between
130 and 250 temporary employees (depending on seasonal needs) (Plitvice
Lakes National Park, 2019), making the Park the largest employer in Lika-
Senj County.
In keeping with the aforementioned, further development of the Park
should be regarded in the context of development that has (with minor dis-
215
