Page 249 - 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. 249
urism development and green horizons in protected areas of croatia and slovenia ...
landscape parks). Many authors have warned that without institutional-
ised management it is difficult to imagine balanced future development of
protected areas that must simultaneously juggle nature protection, tourism
and recreation, education, and other functions (Hribar et al, 2011).
There are, however, advantages to the existing type of management of
lower-rank protected areas (in Slovenia) in terms of creating opportuni-
ties for stronger implementation of participative approaches, involving all
shareholders in the local community with the goal of integrating a given
protected area into the spatial and social development of the wider area in
which it is located. On this sort of basis, specific forms of sustainable tour-
ism within a given protected area and its surroundings can emerge, such as
nature-based tourism, ecotourism, rural tourism, etc. Thereby, the protect-
ed area in question becomes one of a number of tourist attractions in the
wider area, creating opportunities for tourism valorisation and the devel-
opment of other attractions.
In the system of management of protected areas in Croatia, the ap-
proach is primarily centralized, i.e. top-down, especially in terms of man-
agement of national parks and nature parks—the most visited types of
protected areas. In protected areas with lower degrees of protection, a
bottom-up approach in terms of establishments and management is also
implemented.
An example of the top-down management approach is the PARCS
Project (Strengthening the Institutional and Financial Sustainability of
the National System of Protected Areas in the Republic of Croatia), which
was implemented from 2014 to 2017 by the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and Energy of the Republic of Croatia and the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), in partnership with public institutions that adminis-
ter national and nature parks and the Croatian Agency for the Environment
and Nature. The project was organised into two components: 1) reforma-
tion of the institutional framework in order to strengthen management ef-
ficiency of national protected areas; and 2) improving financial sustaina-
bility of the network of national protected areas (Ministry of Environment
and Energy of the Republic of Croatia, 2017). The aforementioned project
enabled the communal presentation and branding of Croatian national and
nature parks for the tourism market (Fig. 1), which resulted in an increase
in the number of visitors over the last few years.
247
landscape parks). Many authors have warned that without institutional-
ised management it is difficult to imagine balanced future development of
protected areas that must simultaneously juggle nature protection, tourism
and recreation, education, and other functions (Hribar et al, 2011).
There are, however, advantages to the existing type of management of
lower-rank protected areas (in Slovenia) in terms of creating opportuni-
ties for stronger implementation of participative approaches, involving all
shareholders in the local community with the goal of integrating a given
protected area into the spatial and social development of the wider area in
which it is located. On this sort of basis, specific forms of sustainable tour-
ism within a given protected area and its surroundings can emerge, such as
nature-based tourism, ecotourism, rural tourism, etc. Thereby, the protect-
ed area in question becomes one of a number of tourist attractions in the
wider area, creating opportunities for tourism valorisation and the devel-
opment of other attractions.
In the system of management of protected areas in Croatia, the ap-
proach is primarily centralized, i.e. top-down, especially in terms of man-
agement of national parks and nature parks—the most visited types of
protected areas. In protected areas with lower degrees of protection, a
bottom-up approach in terms of establishments and management is also
implemented.
An example of the top-down management approach is the PARCS
Project (Strengthening the Institutional and Financial Sustainability of
the National System of Protected Areas in the Republic of Croatia), which
was implemented from 2014 to 2017 by the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and Energy of the Republic of Croatia and the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), in partnership with public institutions that adminis-
ter national and nature parks and the Croatian Agency for the Environment
and Nature. The project was organised into two components: 1) reforma-
tion of the institutional framework in order to strengthen management ef-
ficiency of national protected areas; and 2) improving financial sustaina-
bility of the network of national protected areas (Ministry of Environment
and Energy of the Republic of Croatia, 2017). The aforementioned project
enabled the communal presentation and branding of Croatian national and
nature parks for the tourism market (Fig. 1), which resulted in an increase
in the number of visitors over the last few years.
247
