Page 222 - 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. 222
challenges of tourism development in protected areas of croatia and slovenia
as well as forming a unified concept of the Park, as both a protected nature
area with its own local tradition and history and as a world-renowned tour-
ist destination.
Management and its contribution to sustainable development
of Plitvice Lakes National Park
The main determining element for continued management on all levels of
the Park is the fact that it is still centrally-managed, based on the decision
made by the competent state institution, i.e. state governance. This type of
management, however, has more to do with management policy than actu-
al management methods—which will hereinafter be described.
The start of management and general social awareness regard-
ing Plitvice Lakes coincided with the founding of the Society for the
Maintenance and Beautification of Plitvice Lakes in 1883 (Vidaković, 1997),
marking the beginning of organised action that can be understood as a
forerunner to the contemporary management system. The first manage-
ment system for the Park was implemented when the Park was officially
formed in 1949. In this period (1949–1969), the Park was managed by sever-
al different management bodies.
In 1970, a single organisation—called National Park Plitvice, enter-
prise for nature protection, hospitality, tourism, and commerce—took over
management of the Park. This organisation acted as the Park’s manage-
ment body and was very successful at achieving determined goals, despite
the lack of management plans that have (in Croatia) come to be regard-
ed as the most important pieces of documentation for the management of
a given area. It continued to operate successfully up until Croatian inde-
pendence, and managed the area primarily via spatial planning documents
(Petrić, 2012):
– Plitvice—Regional Plan, 1950;
– Programme of the General Urban Plan, 1960;
– General Maintenance Plan, 1971;
– Recommendation for the Spatial Plan of Plitvice Lakes National
Park, 1975;
– Spatial Plan for Plitvice Lakes National Park: spatial plan for an
area of special purpose, 1986.
After wartime occupation and the return of the local populace and re-
instatement of the Park’s management structure, visitors also returned. At
220
as well as forming a unified concept of the Park, as both a protected nature
area with its own local tradition and history and as a world-renowned tour-
ist destination.
Management and its contribution to sustainable development
of Plitvice Lakes National Park
The main determining element for continued management on all levels of
the Park is the fact that it is still centrally-managed, based on the decision
made by the competent state institution, i.e. state governance. This type of
management, however, has more to do with management policy than actu-
al management methods—which will hereinafter be described.
The start of management and general social awareness regard-
ing Plitvice Lakes coincided with the founding of the Society for the
Maintenance and Beautification of Plitvice Lakes in 1883 (Vidaković, 1997),
marking the beginning of organised action that can be understood as a
forerunner to the contemporary management system. The first manage-
ment system for the Park was implemented when the Park was officially
formed in 1949. In this period (1949–1969), the Park was managed by sever-
al different management bodies.
In 1970, a single organisation—called National Park Plitvice, enter-
prise for nature protection, hospitality, tourism, and commerce—took over
management of the Park. This organisation acted as the Park’s manage-
ment body and was very successful at achieving determined goals, despite
the lack of management plans that have (in Croatia) come to be regard-
ed as the most important pieces of documentation for the management of
a given area. It continued to operate successfully up until Croatian inde-
pendence, and managed the area primarily via spatial planning documents
(Petrić, 2012):
– Plitvice—Regional Plan, 1950;
– Programme of the General Urban Plan, 1960;
– General Maintenance Plan, 1971;
– Recommendation for the Spatial Plan of Plitvice Lakes National
Park, 1975;
– Spatial Plan for Plitvice Lakes National Park: spatial plan for an
area of special purpose, 1986.
After wartime occupation and the return of the local populace and re-
instatement of the Park’s management structure, visitors also returned. At
220
