Page 85 - 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. 85
tourism in protected areas and the transformation of mljet island, croatia
Tab. 2 Changes in the population of Mljet by groups of settlements in the 1961–2011 period
Population Index of total population change
Mljet Mljet Coastal Interior Mljet Mljet Coastal Interior
National National
1,479
Park 1,211 Park
962
1961 1,963 381 103 703 ----
1971 563
1981 1,638 335 92 438 83.4 87.9 89.3 81.9
1991
2001 1,395 315 118 85.2 94.0 128.3 79.4
2011
1,237 352 182 88.7 111.7 154.2 73.1
1,111 317 231 89.8 90.1 126.9 80.1
1,088 316 334 97.9 99.7 144.6 77.8
Index 1991/1961 63.0 92.4 176.7 47.5
Index 2011/1991 88.0 89.8 183.5 62.3
Index 2011/1961 55.4 82.9 324.3 29.6
Sources: FBS (1965; 1972); RBS (1983); CBS (1994; 2003; 2013)
Prožura). New coastal settlements took shape mostly in the 20th century
(particularly after World War II) around former warehouses and storage
buildings in protected bays, due to tourism development (e.g. in Kozarica,
Okuklje, Polače, Pomena, Prožurska Luka, Ropa, Saplunara) (Šulc, 2016).
The only older coastal settlement is Sobra, which is the island’s main port.
Today, none of the island’s settlements have more than 500 inhabitants;
furthermore, the largest is the central settlement Babino Polje with 270 in-
habitants; 7 have a population of 100 to 200, and 6 have less than 100 (Fig. 1).
The present settlement structure is largely result of population change
in the 1961–2011 period. In 1961, before the most intensive tourism develop-
ment took place, the island had a population of 1,963 (FBS, 1965). Most of
them worked in traditional labour-intensive agriculture, and the island was
marked by agricultural overpopulation. In the 1960s, there was a mass exo-
dus from agriculture and the island, as people left for work in Yugoslavia’s
blossoming industrial centres (Stražičić, 1969; Šulc and Valjak, 2012). As
tourism on the island was in its infancy, it could not absorb the entire work-
force (Šulc and Valjak, 2012) and other economic activities were almost
non-existant.
The younger population used to leave the island due to the poor job
market and also because of social opportunities offered by life in cities.
Hence, in the 1961–1971 period, 321 more people left the island than moved
83
Tab. 2 Changes in the population of Mljet by groups of settlements in the 1961–2011 period
Population Index of total population change
Mljet Mljet Coastal Interior Mljet Mljet Coastal Interior
National National
1,479
Park 1,211 Park
962
1961 1,963 381 103 703 ----
1971 563
1981 1,638 335 92 438 83.4 87.9 89.3 81.9
1991
2001 1,395 315 118 85.2 94.0 128.3 79.4
2011
1,237 352 182 88.7 111.7 154.2 73.1
1,111 317 231 89.8 90.1 126.9 80.1
1,088 316 334 97.9 99.7 144.6 77.8
Index 1991/1961 63.0 92.4 176.7 47.5
Index 2011/1991 88.0 89.8 183.5 62.3
Index 2011/1961 55.4 82.9 324.3 29.6
Sources: FBS (1965; 1972); RBS (1983); CBS (1994; 2003; 2013)
Prožura). New coastal settlements took shape mostly in the 20th century
(particularly after World War II) around former warehouses and storage
buildings in protected bays, due to tourism development (e.g. in Kozarica,
Okuklje, Polače, Pomena, Prožurska Luka, Ropa, Saplunara) (Šulc, 2016).
The only older coastal settlement is Sobra, which is the island’s main port.
Today, none of the island’s settlements have more than 500 inhabitants;
furthermore, the largest is the central settlement Babino Polje with 270 in-
habitants; 7 have a population of 100 to 200, and 6 have less than 100 (Fig. 1).
The present settlement structure is largely result of population change
in the 1961–2011 period. In 1961, before the most intensive tourism develop-
ment took place, the island had a population of 1,963 (FBS, 1965). Most of
them worked in traditional labour-intensive agriculture, and the island was
marked by agricultural overpopulation. In the 1960s, there was a mass exo-
dus from agriculture and the island, as people left for work in Yugoslavia’s
blossoming industrial centres (Stražičić, 1969; Šulc and Valjak, 2012). As
tourism on the island was in its infancy, it could not absorb the entire work-
force (Šulc and Valjak, 2012) and other economic activities were almost
non-existant.
The younger population used to leave the island due to the poor job
market and also because of social opportunities offered by life in cities.
Hence, in the 1961–1971 period, 321 more people left the island than moved
83
