Today, in the facility of Hotel Emporium in Bihać, is held a presentation on the Visitor Management and Community Engagement for National Park Una—the first document of this type that has been created for one protected area in BiH.
On this occasion, NP Una Director, mag. oec. Amarildo Mulić, highlighted: “At today’s presentation, 70 NP Una stakeholders attended and actively engaged in commenting and sharing suggestions. By the end of this year, we anticipate to have a completed plan of management that will be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for approval and implementation beginning in early 2023 for the next ten years. In addition, we anticipate that this document will enhance the protection and conservation of nature and other assets in the vicinity of NP Una, as well as the general quality of tourist offerings.”
Statement of NP Una Director, mag. oec. Amarildo Mulić, for local media.
National Park Una is one of the four national parks in BiH and the only national park in the FBiH territory that annually attracts around 100,000 visitors. USAID’s Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turizam) supported this national park in developing Visitor Management and Community Engagement Plan for NP Una, which is a first one of this kind and simultaneously a strategy for managing national parks in BiH.
Considering the increasing number of both environmental and social challenges that are emerging on a daily basis, USAID Turizam recognized a need for intensifying tourist activities aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the rich natural heritage through an increase in the percentage of protected areas. Additionally, USAID Turizam tends to promote sustainable and environmentally responsible approaches aimed at preserving the natural heritage of NP Una.
By implementing this plan, the management and conservation of national parks will be improved in a sustainable manner, while the inclusion of local communities will improve the quality of life, increase incomes, and rates of employment of the local community. In addition, the plan will contribute to the growth of tourism by incorporating presentations of local culture and tradition, as well as identifying the space for enhancing the capacities of local entrepreneurship; opportunities for extra training; product or service certification.
Milena Šijan, the Director of Consultant Agency Nature & Adventure, and one of the expert team members, stated: “Visitor Management and Community Engagement Plan of local communities represents useful toolkit for aligning protected areas with NP Una’s core mission of conserving its natural, cultural, and historical heritage. This document is based on the principles of adaptive management and participatory engagement of stakeholders related to the NP Una visiting. A crucial component of this strategy is the action plan, which contains a vision for this thematic unit and a sequence of activities that can be implemented over a 10-year period by Public Enterprise NP Una, relevant organizations, and interested stakeholders.”
Statement of Milena Šijan, expert team member and Director of Consultant Agency Nature & Adventure, for local media.
In the long term, this plan will result in improving NP Una’s appeal to local and international visitors, with a focus on adventure tourism and nature enthusiasts, as well as those searching for new and sustainable tourism perspectives.
During the plan presentation, there was also a presentation on the process of applying and preparing necessary documentation for enlisting Milančev buk – the complex of travertine barriers and waterfalls in Martin Brod in the area of NP Una – on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. The procedures and realization of this activity were introduced by mag. oec. . Amarildo Mulić, NP Una Director; prof. dr. sci. Samir Đug and prof. dr. sci. Nusret Drešković.
