Protected Areas
Canoe safaris, e-bike rides, and other similar exciting nature stays organized by local tourism agencies are becoming increasingly popular among both domestic and foreign tourists. These activities, besides enriching the tourist offer, are often ecologically conscious.
Modern electric bikes, digital navigation through the challenging greenery of Livanjsko field, and an abundance of adrenaline – this is what one of the tourist tours organized by the Continental Adventure agency from Livno looks like.
For those who prefer less physically demanding activities, the beautiful landscapes of Livanjsko field can be explored with a leisurely canoe ride down the karst river Sturba, which flows through the field.
“We are aware that our offer stems from nature, and that our offer will decline as the environment deteriorates,” says Marin Mamuza, director of Continental Adventure, specialized in nature tourism activities, which offers “e-bike rides” through Livanjsko field. He explains that electric bicycles, for example, do not emit gases and do not pollute with noise, thus not harming the environment.
“Nor do the so-called ‘canoe safaris’ harm nature,” says Anto Perković, owner of Stur.ba, a nature tourism agency that organizes canoe rides on Sturba, the longest river in Livno Field.
“We don’t pollute (nature) with any fuels, like, for example, is the case with quads (off-road vehicles). Simply, we just go down the river,” says Perković.
The Largest Wetland in the World
In addition to rivers, Livanjsko field is also adorned with other precious natural treasures: marshes, lakes, meadows, and numerous rare plant and animal species. Livno Field is the largest karst field in the world and the largest wetland complex in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, despite its importance, Livnoo Field has not yet been declared a protected area in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A protected area is a geographical space that is put under state protection due to its natural, biological, cultural, or historical values, to preserve and legally protect it from unwanted influences and deterioration. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 46 individual areas are protected: 34 in the Republika Srpska and 12 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering 3.12% of the total area of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The reasons for such a small number and area of protected areas in a country of rich biological diversity, with numerous natural and animal species and natural habitats, are numerous. The complex state structure complicates the adoption of necessary measures for establishing and protecting significant areas, the financial resources allocated from the budgets of government institutions are insufficient, and there is a lack of expert and institutional capacity for protected areas to become self-sustainable.
Additional problems include the resistance of decision-makers and the local population towards declaring natural treasures as protected areas.
The establishment of protected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina is carried out with the consent of municipal councils in whose areas potentially protected natural areas are located. Lengthy procedures of municipal bodies, and a lack of awareness of the importance of protected areas, represent a significant obstacle to increasing the number of protected areas, according to “Recommendations for Effective Management of Protected Areas”,a document published two years ago by the organization Cener 21,to support the long-term maintenance and increase of protected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“By promoting knowledge and awareness of the importance and purpose of protected areas, it is possible to resolve all unfounded myths about the socio-economic disadvantages imposed by the establishment of protected areas, thus building support for their declaration and effective management,” says Amela Džananović, project coordinator at Cener 21.
Protected Areas for Economic Development and Improving Living Standards
“It is necessary to overcome the misunderstanding of the concept of protected areas as zones inaccessible to people and of no benefit to the local population,” adds Džananović, an experienced biologist working on expanding the network of protected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their effective management.
Protected areas are crucial for preserving natural diversity and that is their primary goal, but they also play an important role in economic development and improving the living standards of the local population. his can be achieved through the development of sustainable tourism practices, many of which in Bosnia and Herzegovina are supported by the U.S. government through the USAID Turizam project.
Numerous hiking and biking trails pass through the protected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For example, Blidinje Nature Park, Hutovo Blato Nature Park, and Skakavac Nature Monument are located on a hiking trail called “Via Dinarica,” which extends along the Dinaric mountain range from Slovenia to Albania.
The “Via Dinarica” platform for promoting rural sustainable tourism on this international route, whose development was initially financed by USAID at the beginning of this initiative, encourages the local population to develop tourist offers through environmentally friendly practices, nature protection, and sustainable development.
The development of responsible tourism can play a key role in promoting sustainable development of protected areas, while simultaneously aiding in economic, social, and environmental benefits for the local population. Sustainable tourism services mean new jobs and improved quality of life, which is particularly important in rural areas, where employment opportunities are limited.
“In times of very intense depopulation, all efforts and initiatives that encourage, especially young people, to stay in their local communities are important to us,” says Nataša Crnković, an ecologist from the Banja Luka Center for the Environment, and adds:
“Every person who decides to stay and develop activities around nature, especially around protected areas, is important to us, as an example and motivation to others.”
Sustainable Tourism for Raising Awareness About the Importance of Nature Conservation
Sustainable tourism practices also enable the development of authentic tourism services that promote local natural and cultural heritage and contribute to increasing awareness of the importance of nature conservation.
In addition to canoe rides, the agency Stur.ba also organizes bird watching in the Livno Field area, where nearly three hundred different bird species have been recorded. Perković from Stur.ba says that these activities help visitors gain new knowledge about the plant and animal world in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their values.
“(Thus) we influence raising awareness and provide insight into the importance of the Livno Field,” adds Perković.
Last year, the USAID Turizam project helped Una National Park develop a “Visitor Management and Community Engagement Plan” to support sustainable and environmentally friendly tourist activities aimed at preserving the natural heritage of the Park. Kozara National Park followed the same path and this year received a “Visitor Management and Local Community Involvement Plan,” also with the help of USAID Turizam.
The involvement of local communities plays a huge role in the process of declaring new protected areas and managing in a protected area.
“It is extremely important for the local population to participate in creating the image of a protected area. Involving the local community in planning, managing, and developing protected natural areas is necessary,” says Zineta Mujaković, head of the nature protection department at the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, who is hopeful of a positive outcome.
From 2016 to the end of 2021, the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme, worked on establishing new protected areas in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Livno Field, Star Mountain, Vjetrenica Cave System, Bjelašnica-Treskavica-Rakitnica Canyon, and the Mediteranetum Neum reserve.
The area of Vjetrenica and Popovo Polje was declared a protected landscape in 2021 . For other areas, including Livno Field, the procedures for declaring them as protected areas are ongoing.
Mamuza from the Continental Adventure agency also hopes for a positive outcome, wishing for strategic protection of the natural riches of his native region: “With good management plans, the local community should understand that there are only benefits, and no negative impacts, from a protected area.”
