engleski

˝Influence of tourism development on sustainability of local communities in natural protected areas, case study of Plitvice lakes National park”

More than 120.000 nature areas worldwide are protected because of their uniqueness, which is the most important recourse for tourism development. Because of that nature scenery as a coulisse is the main motive for tourist arrivals in Croatia, while over 20% of all tourist arrivals in Croatia is motivated primarily by exploring nature protected areas (NPA), especially National and Nature parks. On the other hand National parks present generators of development in the areas as they are the most frequently visited protected areas, and they are larger by extent, and therefore represent some of the most intensely used natural tourist areas. Simultaneously National park Plitvice lakes given the very large number of visitors that affect the transformation of the area, and considering that within the boundaries of the park there is about 2000 residents, make an excellent polygon for research of sociocultural sustainability. The findings of this paper impose the need for a comprehensive and more detailed consideration of the impact of tourism on the area, the environment and identity of the Plitvice National Park, as a basis for directing its future development in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Local population as a crucial stakeholder group in sustainable development of protected area should not only be included in researches and monitoring of its sustainability, but should be crucial factor in managing protected areas in accordance with the needs of population and ecosystem.

protected area; tourism; population

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