Page 108 - World Heritage and Tourism Innovation

Anton Gosar Layers of Tourism in Protected Ecosystems of Slovenia

cultural point of view, is like the area of the neigh- es and the consistency between the international cate-
bouring Dolomites, which were included in the List gories of protected areas, by IUCN standards, and cat-
in 2009. egories of protected areas in the Slovenian system has
been performed (Zakon o ohranjanju narave, 2004).
Spatial Background: Areas of Protection A comparison of the management of objectives in
Slovenia is one of the most diverse tourist destinations categories of national parks and protected landscapes
in Europe. On its relatively small size (20.273 km2), with similarly defined protected areas in Slovenia has
Mediterranean landscapes cover 9%, the European been carried out. (Dudley, 2008; Berginc et al., 2006;
Alps 42%, karstic landscapes of the Dinaric Alps 28%, Sovinc & Gosar, 2015).
and the Pannonian (also called Danubian) landscapes According to international standards, in the cen-
cover 21% of the nation-state’s territory. The detailed tral area of national parks, activities that would en-
geographic perspective singles out Mediterranean danger “the biodiversity, together with the organic
flysch areas (5.2%), Mediterranean karst (3.3%); Al- structure and environmental processes, may not be
pine highlands (15.1%), pre-Alpine hills (23%), Alpine carried out” (Dudley, 2008). Article 68 of the Nature
lowlands (4.0%); Dinaric plateaus (18.8%), Dinaric Conservation Act of the Republic of Slovenia (Zakon
valleys (9.4%); Pannonian hills (14,8%) and Pannoni- o ohranjanju narave, 2004) prohibits and limits activ-
an flatlands (6,4%). (Orožen Adamič & Perko, 1998). ities that threaten biodiversity, organic structure, and
Within the “Natura 2000” program framework, the environmental processes in the TNP’s central area and
EU Life program singled out 365 areas, covering 37% at designated sites of regional/landscape parks. How-
of the country. In this context, protection is granted to ever, this arrangement is not a minimum standard in
205 animals, 27 plants and 60 typical natural environ- named and other protected areas. Therefore, activities
ments, which is 11% of all protected habitats in the Eu- should be banned or at least limited in central areas of
ropean Union - EU (Ministrstvo za okolje in prostor, each protected nature site if they threaten biodiversi-
2022). The largest protected nature area covers Triglav ty, a basic objective of the international classification
National Park - TNP (838 km2); the areas designated categories.
as UNESCO’s natural heritage cover 773 km2 (World
Tourism Organization, 2020). Six types of protection Methodology
are legally defined in nature conservation areas. In ad- Previous Study. The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO)
dition to the Triglav National Park, 3 Regional Parks, has since produced several strategic plans and pro-
46 Landscape Parks, and 57 Nature Reserves (57) ex- motional campaigns. Along with the general pro-
ist. A certain level of protection is granted to 1.164 motional slogan “I feel Slovenia”, the contempo-
Monuments of Nature (Zavod Republike Slovenije za rary trendy slogan is to recognise the destination
varstvo narave, n.d.). The Slovenian Nature Conserva- as “Green, Active, Healthy”. From the dawn of the
tion Act (Zakon o ohranjanju narave, 2004) has par- 21st century, the intention has been to base tourism
tially implemented conditions published by the Inter- growth entirely on principles of sustainable devel-
national Union for the Conservation of Nature (1994). opment. Students at the University of Primorska,
The 49. article describes protected areas. In a special Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica, have tried to
survey, we have checked criteria implemented on cat- find out how national directives are accepted by ho-
egories of protection by Slovenian law – in national, tel management and among tourists. Senior manage-
regional and landscape parks. The system of protec- ment believed sustainable development should focus
tion determines the category or type of protected area on actual, place/destination-related problems. They
and should consider the internationally established would favour sustainable development if promotional
IUCN categorisation of protected areas. The minimum campaigns would change past trends and would de-
protection and sub-sequential tourist use standards liver increased short- and mid-term financial results.
are not set for each category. The analysis of differenc- Many have acted independently by saving electricity

104 | Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference