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

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1 Influence of tourism development on sustainability of local communities in natural protected areas, case study of Plitvice lakes National park Authors: Izidora Marković, mag geo., Institute for Tourism, Zagreb Dane Pejnović PhD, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Zagreb Snježana Boranić Živoder, PhD, Institute for Tourism, Zagreb Summary More than 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 socio cultural 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. 1. Introduction Preserved space is a resource which is unique and it is impossible to reproduce, cause of that more and more valuable nature areas worldwide are mostly protected because of their uniqueness, but in some cases they are protected cause of the vulnerability of the area. Consequently, tourism environment and communities are in continuous feedback, which by its nature is positive in early and 1

2 less intense stages, but with the increase in tourist activity leads to negative feedback (Martinić, 2010). Nature scenery as a coulisse is the main tourist attraction 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 (TOMAS, 2006). Furthermore there is constant increase of number of visitors to NPA, which represents a burden for sensitive recourses of the areas. Tourism in natural protected areas is based on maximizing profit regardless of the sustainability, proven by lack of operational management plans, determining carrying capacity, etc. National parks representative present generators of development in the areas as they are the most frequently visited protected areas, also 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 socio cultural sustainability. Thus one of the purposes of the paper is to determine in what extant is local population sustainability effected by the rapid tourism development in last 40 years in the area of the Plitvice lakes national park and is local population included in management process as important stakeholder group. Also this paper shall purpose some guidelines for reducing negative impacts of tourism development and nature protection on local population. 1. Literature review Protected nature areas are often neglected in the analysis of sustainability; usually due to the attitude that these areas are sustainable by itself because of its environmental conservation, even though there are numerous examples that prove otherwise (Pravdić, 2003), especially in terms of socio cultural and population sustainability. Ecological, along with the economical (tourism) sustainability, are usually emphasized as crucial for managing the protected areas, on the other hand, socio cultural sustainability is often neglected due to excessive conservation of protected areas that restrict economic and demographic development of the local population. As such they are also extremely attractive tourist areas, all burdened with many negative influences which are largely due to human activities. Sustainability of natural protected areas is also largely dependent on the management of the area that if it is successfully directed and supervised can be implemented in the right way to conserve the underlying phenomenon, which is the reason the area is protected, and can also have a positive impact on other dimensions of sustainability, such as the 2

3 sustainability of identity, landscape and tourism. Negative impact factors are specific to each area, and thus a model of sustainable management of natural protected area must be specific for each area and be based on geographic particularities of space which is managed and associated with regional planning. Sustainability as a complex issue cannot be easily solved by focusing only on one of its dimensions (Hasna, 2012), but must incorporate ecological, economical and socio cultural dimension, with all its sub dimensions. Because of the complexity of the dimensions of sustainability in this paper emphasis shall be on socio cultural sustainability with focus on demographic sustainability in terms of intensive tourism development. Managing of the NPA s must be considered on individual level (Rodriguez Rodriguez, 2012), what makes the management dynamic process to sustainability. Modern models of sustainable management are based on cooperation and partnership management (Borrini Feyerabend, 2004), because of that they are more flexible in need of sudden reactions on challenges of management then centralized systems. Also it is almost impossible to manage protected areas without including the entire region along with local population as the most important stakeholder. NPA management discourse is expressing concerns that the combination of existing limitations in visitor management and constant visitors increase in some parks and sites represent a growing risk to both biological and human recourses. Considering that three decades ago the stakeholders concept was introduced in tourism development in order to provide some answers and aspects generally ignored by the tourism management of the date (Freeman, 1984; Murphy, 1985; Jamal & Getz, 1999; Hall, 2003; Waligo, Clark & Hawking, 2013). Since then stakeholder concept is being introduced to improve tourism planning and management taking in consideration stakeholders perspectives and issues. The tourism destination literature refers to different stakeholders types and groups generally focusing on the six: tourists, local population, tourist business, government, special interest groups and education/science institutions (Butler, 1999; Marckwig, 2000; Getz &Timur, 2002). In addition to this the literature dealing with tourism in NPA s is discussing a wider group of sustainability stakeholders: NPA management, environment/nature organizations, religious institutions, local media, and other site specific groups (Waliago, Clarke & Hawkins, 2013). Related theories and practices clearly indicate that incorporation of all stakeholders groups is essential in managing biodiversity conservation and tourist pressures, putting an emphasis on the local population. Protected nature areas in Croatia are regulated by Law of Nature protection, which is well defined and established with its management procedures and rules. On the other hand NATURA 2000 Network is designed to conserve over a thousand rare, threatened and endemic species of wild animals and plants. Like other EU countries, Croatia has proposed sites for the NATURA

4 Network for over 230 species and 70 habitat types that occur in Croatia and that are considered to be of EU importance. Croatia s National Ecological Network, as a system of interconnected or spatially close ecologically important areas having a balanced bio geographical spread, thus significantly contributing to the preservation of the natural balance and biodiversity, covers 47 percent of Croatian Land Territory and 39 percent of the Territorial Sea with a great potential for a further development in eco tourism, that can be closely connected with local population development and identity. 2. Methodology frame Plitvice Lakes National Park have an extremely sensitive natural phenomenon based on the lakes, waterfalls and travertine (Vidakovic, 1997). Specifically, the underlying phenomenon of the park, the creation of travertine is the resultant of unfolding strictly specific interaction of physical chemical and biological characteristics in this unique karst area, in the climatic conditions of the present interglacial and disturbed natural balance (Stilinović, 1994). Under anthropogenic influence over the last three centuries the environment and landscape of the immediate and wider area are gradually changing, just as the natural balance of the lake ecosystem. It is possible to distinguish several stages of historical and geographical development of population and anthropogenic impacts on the environment and landscape of the park: first is the period of military frontier period of the early 18th century to the 1870's, the second is period of demobilization Krajina until the mid 20th century and third is period of expansive tourism development from the early 1950s to early 1990s (Pejnović, 1992). From a contemporary perspective, exposed periodization should be supplemented with two stages: period of the war, during the first half of the 1990s, and second recent period, from the mid 1990s to the present. Construction of tourist facilities and infrastructure, and rapid increase in tourist traffic from the mid 20th century were reflected in the increasing anthropogenic eutrophication of lakes (Stilinović, 1994). In parallel, the affirmation of the park as one of the leading centers of continental tourism in Croatia has prompted rapid growth and geographic transformation of the settlements and its surroundings, which are increasingly having the characteristics of clearly defined socio economic region (Pejnović, 1983). Acceleration of tourism development since the mid 1990s proportionally increases anthropogenic impacts with the corresponding, negative reflection on the environment, landscape and identity of the Park. This development suggests the need of continued research of these processes, including demographic and travel trends and changing identity of the population, to modify future development of the protected areas to a greater extent with the principles of sustainable development. Related to this, the subject of this paper are the fundamental demographic and travel trends in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, as well as their implicit reflection on the changing identity of the 4

5 traditional area. The research approach is based on a theoretical model of sustainable development and stakeholders in sustainable tourism, based on the coordinated development of population (social sustainability), social functions, primarily the economy, which form the basis of the existence of the population (functional /economic viability) and the environment, landscape and identity, media, negative changes in terms of capacity of space (geospatial sustainability). Such harmonized development between population as agents of development processes, its functions and listed geospatial components is precondition for spatially balanced and sustainable development. Within the demographic considerations(social sustainability) and tourism trends(functional/economic viability) in the Plitvice Lakes National Park trough this paper there will be investigated population trends from 1880 to 2011, general(total, natural and mechanical) movement of population from1971 to 2011, types of general population trends in settlements from2001 to 2011, the process of demographic aging from 1991 to 2011andtourism indicators in the Park from 1970 to 2011.The research is based on appropriate statistical and geographical graphical methods, among which the main are tabular and cartographic analysis of data documenting the quantitative changes (processes) in the space time context. Exposed indicators of development processes are discussed at three levels of spatial analysis: the National Parkas as whole and trough two management zones (narrower area zone of fundamental phenomenon and the wider area of the park) and the settlements (a total of 20 villages, of which 8in narrower zone and12 in wider park area). 3. Research results and discussion Analysis of population trends from 1880 to 2011 shows a different direction and intensity of the demographic development in settlements of narrower and wider areas of the park (Fig. 1). Figure 1. Population trends in narrower and wider area of Plitvice Lakes National Park,

6 In the demographic development of the Park in general there are several smaller periods with different population trends, as well as agents that cause them. During the second half of the 19th century demographic development of the wider area of Lika and Kordun entered a mature phase of the demographic transition, which resulted in a continuous increase in the number of residents in settlements of narrower and wider areas of the Park during the last two decades of this century. Moreover, due to the previously conceived economic diversification, in its narrower area uptrend demographic growth continued until the beginning of In contrast, a distinct problem of agricultural overpopulation (passive areas!), and the resulting increased emigration simultaneously reflected in the moderate depopulation of its wider area. War losses and spatially differentiated postwar emigration (especially the agricultural colonization in lowland regions) have resulted in relatively significant depopulation of the Park as a whole and its wider and narrower areas, where the narrower area had a relatively small population decline. From the mid 20th century, narrower and wider area of the Park showed divergent demographic development. The formal separation of the protected areas in the category of national park in 1949, had a positive effect on the demographic dynamics of the inner areas of the park to the beginning of the 1990s, while its wider area simultaneously had relatively significant depopulation. As a result of the war and post war development difficulties, since the early 1990s depopulation has spread to the settlement of narrower area and is a basic feature of recent demographic development of the park as a whole. The underlying cause of depopulation of the Park during the second half of the 20th century is emigration which is caused by lag of the broader area (traditional regions Lika and Kordun) in the socio economic development of the Croatia. This is reinforced by the predominance of emigration types in general population trends from 1971 to 1991, in wider as well as in narrower area of the Park (Fig. 2). Figure 2. Types of general population trends of narrower and wider area of Plitvice Lakes National Park by intercensal periods

7 Analysis of the general population trend shows a clear difference in the intensity of emigration from the narrower and wider areas of the Park over the last few decades. Thus, thanks to the more advanced function of labor narrow Park area continuously allocated less intensive emigration in relation to its wider area. Unlike the previous 40 year period, the available statistical data for the last intercensal period are not reliable indicator of general population trends. Specifically, by the Population Census from 2011 as permanent residents are registered and returnees (refugees of the war), of which small part of (mostly elderly) returned, while the overwhelming majority reported fictitious residence in the settlements of their pre war residence. This prevents an exact assessment of the intensity of emigration as well as knowing the real number of inhabitants. Exposed problem of validity of census data from 2011, when it comes to the resident population, is even more evident when analyzing the types of general population trends by settlements (Fig 3). Figure 3. Types of general population trends in settlements of Plitvice Lakes National Park,

8 According to exposed analysis, most settlements, especially in the area of municipality of Plitvice Lakes and Vrhovine, are characterized by immigration types of general population trends, which has no support in the empirical findings of recent population structure of the investigated area. In addition to general population trends, the current crisis of population structure of Plitvice National Park is convincingly evidenced by the increasingly unfavorable age structure of the population (Tab. 1). Table 1. Changes of age structure of the population of Plitvice National Park, Year Spatial unite Population Young (0 14) Mature (15 64) Old (65<) Aps % Aps % Aps % Narrower park area , , , Wider park area , , ,6 NP Plitvice lakes total , , ,2 Narrower park area , , , Wider park area , , ,2 NP Plitvice lakes total , , ,0 Narrower park area , , , Wider park area , , ,6 NP Plitvice lakes total , , ,0 Source: Census for the years concerned, DZS, Zagreb 8

9 Deterioration of the of age structure of the population in the Park in the observed 20 year period directly reflects the continued reduction in the number and proportion of young people, as opposed to increasing the share of residents of old age group. Although, as expected, the data in the immediate area of the park are somewhat more favorable, ie less negative, the disturbing trend witnessed more than a fourth of the elderly in the wider area. Detailed insight on the intensity of the aging process provide information about changing aging indicators, age index and total age dependency ratio in the Park, from 1991 to 2011 (Tab. 2). Table 2. The process of demographic aging in the Plitvice Lakes National Park Year Spatial unite Aging indicators Points Type Age index Total age dependency ratio (k ds) Narrower park area ,10 16,08 Wider park area ,00 25,06 NP Plitvice lakes total ,72 21,03 Narrower park area ,03 20,30 Wider park area ,02 47,90 NP Plitvice lakes total ,15 35,77 Narrower park area ,67 24,75 Wider park area ,85 47,19 NP Plitvice lakes total 13 7 Source: Census for the years concerned, DZS, Zagreb 120,96 37,29 Even in 1991 indicator of aging in the wider area belonged to the type 7 (extremely old population), while on his narrower area belonged to type 5 (very old), but already in next census, in 2011, is having type 6 (extremely old). Similarly, the age index of the population in narrower area of the Park in the period doubled (from to 72.76), while there also was a significant increase in the wider area ( to ). Reducing contingent of mature population (including the number of women in fertile age) on the one hand and intensifying the process of demographic aging were reflected in all the unfavorable trends in population in the Park (Table 3). Table 3. Natural population change in the Plitvice Lakes National Park by intercensal periods, Intercensal period Spatial unite Natural population change Aps. % Narrower park area Wider park area NP Plitvice lakes total 86 5,8 97 3,5 11 0,3 9

10 Narrower park area Wider park area NP Plitvice lakes total Narrower park area Wider park area NP Plitvice lakes total Narrower park area Wider park area NP Plitvice lakes total 52 3, ,9 95 2,6 14 0,9 49 2,8 35 1,1 22 2, , ,2 Source: Census for the years concerned, DZS, Zagreb The exposed analysis shows that, as a result of emigration of younger people in the previous period, the wider area in the Park show negative natural growth already in the 1970s and that it is continued with varying intensity until recently. It is worrying, however, that a negative natural growth in the last census period, is established also in the narrow area of the Park. This trend indicates that the cause of depopulation of narrower area of the Park in the census period ( 74 People) is not only emigration ( 52 people), but also a negative natural growth ( 22 people). Since we are talking of the indigenous population of Plitvice Lakes, the process has appropriate consequences in atrophy of the traditional identity of the protected area. The data presented convincingly confirm the thesis of atrophy of population structure in the Plitvice Lakes National Park particularly marked in the last two decades. Except for the war conditional discontinuities, the development of the Park, its narrower and wider area, and the accompanying socio economic region, from the mid 20th century took place under the influence of the tourism economy. Appreciable increase in tourist traffic occurred in the mid 1970s after a thorough reconstruction of the network of roads which gave Park nodal traffic and geographical position (Pejnović, 1983). This was reflected in the precipitated increasing number of visitors of approximately 250,000 transit guests in 1970 to the present more than one million visitors. Unlike the visitor total number the overnight stays is only at half of its sum in the pre war period (Tab. 3.). Table 3.Changes in the number of visitors and overnight stays in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, Year Number of visitors Number of overnights

11 Source: DZS, Zagreb Exposed indicators point to a worrying discrepancy in contemporary tourism development of Plitvice National Park. On the one hand, it is evident in an excessive number of visitors, far exceeding the capacity of the space, whose concentration burden the space and the environment, with corresponding effects on all aspects of sustainable development of protected area. On the other hand, there is a slow increase in the effective tourism turnover, as measured by number of overnight. The problem is even greater as tourism activity of the Park is characterized by distinct spatial polarization, concentration of visitors in the narrow lakes zone, transit destination character and quite distinct seasonality (maximum in the summer months). Thus, more than 80% of tourist activities in the Park take place in its narrower area (Fig. 4). Generally speaking, the period of the last 40 years there has been a significant increase in tourism activity in the Plitvice Lakes National Park. In those 40 years, the number of visitors annually increased by more than four times (4.4). On the one hand, it is a consequence of global trends in the tourism market that are characterized by the growing activities of tourists, the need for education and learning about the beauty of the country visited. Also TOMAS studies confirm these global trends (TOMAS, 2011). According to these study, when it comes to activities during their stay in the destination, 44,6% tourists in 2010 went on trips to national parks, while in 2001 Only 34.4% went on such trips. Figure 4. Changes in the number of overnights in the narrower and wider area of the National Park Plitvice Lakes, With the over emphasis of spatial concentration, the tourism development of the Park is characterized by a short average length of stay of tourists all between 1.3 and 1.5 days per tourist. 11

12 The indicated data is result of its transit position, the fact that the most attractive facilities zone of fundamental phenomenon can be visited for one day but also insufficiently developed additional tourism offer, especially in selected locations outside the park zone. All stated here indicates that even though tourism is strong generator of financial resources in the area of NP Plitvice lakes it is still not the stabilizer of socio cultural sustainability by itself. Out of this conclusion two different reasons for that state can be presumed. First is that tourism of this intensity is not enough by itself for achieving demographic sustainability and can even be harmful because of the pressure from big number of tourists. Second possible reason can lay in insufficient involvement of local population as a key stakeholders in management of the area, which is still quite centralized, and it is not putting enough attention to sustainability of local communities. Exposed shows that oversized, spatially and temporally inconsistent development of tourism in the National Park is becoming a greater threat to the sustainable development of protected area. Here, in addition to anthropogenic eutrophication, particularly important is its existing atrophy of population structure, and associated with it weakening of traditional identity. On the other hand preservation of local community identity can have a great positive effect on reaffirmation of spatial and cultural authenticity that are some of the most important anthropogenic resources in tourism. 4. Conclusion The conducted research of demographic and travel trends and their impact on the implicit weakening of the traditional identity of the Plitvice Lakes National Park provides the following generalization concluding settings: a) The area of Plitvice National Park since the early 20th century is affected by continuing depopulation (wider area from the 1931 and narrower since 1991) b) Depopulation of the park is result of long and occasionally very intense emigration, especially from its wider area, and the negative natural change (in the wider area from the 1970s, and narrower area from 2001 to 2011).; c) Unfavorable demographic trends are reflected in the types of general population trends, within Park as a whole, and its broader and narrow area, which are all characterized by emigration types of population trends since 1970 (emigration, depopulation and extreme depopulation); d) Selective emigration considering the age (emigration of young population) has resulted in accelerated aging process (type 6 extremely old in a narrow area, type 7 extremely old population in the wider area of the park); e) In contrast to the negative demographic trends, the tourism in the Park records progressive growth, with the number of visitors in recent years greatly exceeding the limited capacity of the space and there is an increasing threat to environment of the site; 12

13 f) Atrophy of structure of population, followed by depopulation by reducing the number of indigenous inhabitants of the Park, on the one hand, and advanced process of modernization and the space pressure is connected with the tourist turnover increasingly threatening the original identity of the observed area, as one component of its overall attractiveness. Concerning all the findings 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. Along with present population, future population of the area should also be considered (Byrd, 2007) in accordance with sustainable tourism postulates. The findings impose the need for a comprehensive and more detailed consideration of the impact of tourism on the area, the environment and identityoftheplitvice National Park, as a basis for directing its future development in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Such processing / development of the park, according to the spirit of Croatian national park and the positive experiences of the world's most renowned parks, additionally obliges by its status as the only protected natural areas of the Croatia who is on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. List of references 1. Borrini Feyerabend, G., Kothary, A, Oviedo, G, 2004: Indigenous and Local Communnities and Protected Areas: towards Equity and Enhanced Consercation, IUCN, Gland and Cambridge. 2. Butler, R.,1999: An Evolutionary Prespective. In Tourism Sustainable Development: Monitoring, Planning, Managing Decision Making: A Civic Approach, J.Nelson, R. Butler and G. Wall, eds., pp Byrd, E. T., 2007: Stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism Development and their Roles: Applying Stakeholder Theory to Sustainable Tourism Development, Tourism Review, vol. 62 (2), pp Freeman, R. E., 1984: Strategic Management: A stakeholder approach. Boston: Pitman. 5. Hall, C.M., 2003: Politics and Place: an Analysis of Power in Tourism Communities, in Singh, S., Timothy, D.J. & Dowling, R.K. (Eds) (2003) Tourism in Destination Communities, CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 6. Hasna, A. M., 2012: Dimensions of Sustainability, Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Community Development, vol 1(2), pp Intitute for tourism, 2011: Tomas ljeto 2010 stavovi i potrošnja turista u Hrvatskoj, Instizut za turizam, Zagreb. 8. Jamal, T., Getz, D : Community Roundtables for Tourism related Conflicts: The Dialectics of Consensus and Process Structures, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 7(40), pp Martinić, I. 2010: Upravljanje zaštićenim područjima prirode (Planiranje razvoj i održivost), Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Šumarski fakultet, Zagreb. 10. Murphy, P.E., 1985: Tourism: A community aproach, Routledge, London. 13

14 11. Pejnović, D. (1983): Utjecaj Nacionalnog parka Plitvička jezera na regionalni razvoj Like, Geografski horizont, 1 4, Zagreb, Pejnović, D. (1992): Razvoj naseljenosti i promjene narodnosnog sastava u Plitvičkoj regiji, Geografski glasnik, 54, Zagreb, Pravdić, V., 2002: Sustainable development: Its meaning, perception and implementation, The Case of Ecotourism in Croatia, Društvena istraživanja 12(3 4), Rodríguez Rodríguez, D., 2012: New Issues on Protected Area Management,U: Protected Area Management, Barbara Sladonja (Ed.), InTech, avaliable at: area management. 15. Stillinovć, B., 1994: Temeljni fenimen Plitvičkih jezera, u: Plitvička jezera: nacionalno dobro Hrvatske svjetska baština, Uprava Nacionalnog parka Plitvička jezera, HAZU, Zagreb, 1994, Timur, S., Getz, D. (2002). Applying Stakeholder Theory to the Implementation of Sustainable Urban Tourism. City Tourism 2002 Wober, K. W. (ed.), Proceedings of European Cities Tourism's International Conference, , Vienna. 17. Vidaković, P., 1997: Nacionalni parkovi u Svijetu, priroda kultura turizam, Fond za stipendiranje mladih za zaštitu prirode i turizam, Zagreb. 18. Waligo, V., Clarke, J. and Hawkins, R., 2013: Implementing sustainable tourism: A multistakeholder involvement management framework',tourism Management, vol. 36c, no., pp

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