DIGITALNA ARHIVA ŠUMARSKOG LISTA
prilagođeno pretraživanje po punom tekstu



ŠUMARSKI LIST 11-12/2017 str. 10     <-- 10 -->        PDF

financing of protected areas (White & Lovett, 1999, Githiru et al., 2015), as well as shift from financing exclusively from public sources to various other sources nowadays (Gurung 2010). Efficient management that covers the most important and threatened areas to be protected on national and global level, is of crucial importance for biodiversity protection as well as for market and non-market goods and services that these areas provide for the local community (Brunner et al., 2004). There are app. 100,000 protected areas worldwide on 18.58 million km2 of which 11.5% are forest habitats (Jenkins et al., 2004). The establishment of protected area systems demands long term political and financial commitment which is beyond easy proclamation of new parks (Brunner et al., 2004). Insufficient financing indicates the lack of human resources, technical equipment and other management needs which restrict management efficiency in the protected areas.
The Nature Park Medvednica, V protection category, according to the IUCN categorization of protected areas extends on 17,938 ha. The V category implies recreation as well as landscape preservation management (Dudley, 2008). Primary goals imply natural and cultural heritage protection, tourism and recreation, whereas secondary goals imply scientific research, biodiversity preservation, education and sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
The Law on Nature Protection defines a nature park as a vast area of landscape of educative, cultural, historical, tourist and recreational importance. All activities carried out by public agencies are allowed if they are focused on area protection and preservation as a primary goal and education and tourist promotion as a secondary goal (OG 70/2005).
For proper management of any area, and particularly protected ones, it is essential to include as much relevant data as possible from different sectors (e.g. natural science, demography, administration, forestry, agriculture, etc.). Very often those data have different formats, precision, resolution, origin, etc. A geographic information system (GIS) enables successful integration of such diverse data into harmonized database containing all data in compatible format. Such database enables e.g. the creation of zones in some protected areas as a foundation for management planning and decision making. Furthermore, it is possible to develop various scenarios for the estimation of possible impacts on managed areas. It is also very useful in the complex analyses of diversity, such as in Jelaska et al. (2010).
Aim of this study was to identify characteristics of areas with highest visitor pressure in terms of their biodiversity and relief complexity in order to find areas with similar characteristics. Latter can be used for future optimisation of visitor pressure with aim of improving nature conservation success in the Nature Park.
STUDY AREA
Područje istraživanja
Medvednica is situated as a separated massif immediately north of the City of Zagreb and represents isolated mountain between Sava, Krapina and Lonja river valleys. There are two landscape complexes, forest areas and settlement areas. Forest complex predominates with few meadow areas. Large number of streams with ravines and karstic ecosystems contribute to landscape diversity of the forest area. Medvednica is of exceptional importance for the City of Zagreb from ecological, esthetical, recreational and touristic aspect.
In 1981 the western part of Medvednica was proclaimed the Nature Park (OG 24/1981). The forests represent basic values of this area and condition its purpose and management. Within the vast forest complex of 14,550 ha the most valuable parts are extracted as forest reserves (996.71 ha) whereas remaining part of forests represent the recreational area. Geological structure of Medvednica is very diverse as well. The rock age ranges from palaeozoic to quaternary beds. All three main rock groups, such as igneous, metamorphic and sediment rocks, are represented. The most represented soils on Medvednica are forest cambisol soils that together with forests make inseparable forest habitats which represent basic natural phenomenon of Medvednica (Pernar, 2008). The problem of illegal urbanization as well as population increase within the Park’s confines had occurred in the spatial plan. This led to proposing the change of the Nature Park’s borders. In February 2009 the Parliament promoted the Law on amendment of the Law on the Proclamation of Medvednica as the Nature Park (OG 25/2009).
Forests, covering as much as 78% of the total Nature Park’s area, are the most significant phenomena. The most widespread forest types are: Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests; Illyrian oak-hornbeam forests (Erythronio-Carpinion) and Illyrian Fagus sylvatica forests (Aremonio-Fagion). Other habitats include streams and springs, thermal springs, bushes and ruderal habitats which are particularly outspread in the area of private properties and forests (Kušan, 2007). Subterranean habitats are a special category. The Veternica cave is famous for being a habitat for fourteen bat species and a series of invertebrates (Ozimec, 2005). In the Nature Park’s area the recent data show that there are 1,205 plant species (Nikolić & Kovačić, 2008). Such high plant diversity was analysed by numerous authors (Hršak et al., 1999; Sočo et al., 2002, Cigić et al., 2003; Dobrović et al., 2006a, 2006b, Mareković et al. 2009; Vuković et al. 2010). Due to forest and meadow habitats variety there is large number of fungus findings. Large number of so far identified fungi species is protected and classified in one of the IUCN category of endangered species. According to the Regulations on the Proclamation of