Journal: „Šumarski list“: Journal of Forestry Society of Croatia, No. 5-6, 2022, pp. 243-253
Publisher: Hrvatsko šumarsko društvo
Year: 2022.
ISSN 0373-1332 (print)
ISSN 1846-9140 (online)
Abstract
Ecotourism is a sustainable form of tourism in protected areas that provides support for nature protection and sustainable development of local communities. Biosphere reserves are special areas with a relatively original nature and active socio-economic development, as well as with cultural characteristics that must be in harmony with the ecological environment. Understanding the interaction of environmental, economic and social factors in a biosphere reserve is the basis for setting the concept of sustainable development of ecotourism. Moreover, this paper includes an analysis of the concepts of ecotourism within the protected areas Kopački rit (Croatia) and Gornje Podunavlje (Serbia), in the biosphere reserves Mura – Drava – Dunav (Croatia) and Bačko Podunavlje (Serbia), with the main aim of making a comparative analysis of their organization. The results give key information on nature protection in accordance with the national legislation and international nature protection standards, on nature degradation and protected areas management challenges, on ecotourism, on the link between nature protection and tourism development, on the projects supporting nature protection and ecotourism development as well as involvement of the local community.
Keywords
Ecotourism, biosphere reserves, UNESCO, sustainable development, nature protection
