Project name: Improving Visitor Capacity for Sustainable Management of the Medvednica Nature Park: Group 2. Visitor Management Plan
Client: Medvednica Nature Park
Period: 07/2019 – 05/2020
Location: Croatia
The project “Improving Visitor Capacity for Sustainable Management of the Medvednica Nature Park”, KK.06.1.2.01.0012 was contracted within the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion, priority axis 6 “Environmental protection and resource sustainability”, investment priority 6c “Conservation, protection, promotion and development of natural and cultural heritage” and specific objective 6c2 management of natural heritage sites, on the call for project proposals “Promotion of sustainable use of natural heritage in national parks and nature parks” reference number: KK.06.1.2.01.
The Visitor Management Plan with the accompanying Action Plan focused on the analysis of the current situation and the development of a plan for the development of the visiting system in Medvednica Nature Park.
The following activities were performed:
- description and analysis of the features of Medvednica Nature Park
- analysis of spatial planning documentation
- analysis of relevant documents related to the management of the Medvednica Nature Park and tourism in the Park area
- description and analysis of current visiting characteristics
- a survey research of the opinions of foreign visitors to the City of Zagreb
- stakeholder consultations
- GAP analysis
- GIS analysis of spatial plans, existing infrastructure and visiting trends
- analysis of the transport system and improvement solution proposal
- GIS analysis of biodiversity and ecological network conservation objectives
- assessment of the pressures of visiting on nature
- defining disturbance and visiting zones
- development of an action plan for visitor management.
In the visitor management plan for Medvednica Nature Park, the following characteristics of the Nature Park were described: cultural heritage, landscape features, biodiversity, geodiversity, forestry, hunting, protected areas and ecological network.
Furthermore, visitation characteristics were analysed through the existing spatial plans, the current management plan, promotion activities, programs for visitors, visitor infrastructure and visitation trends. Relevant stakeholders were consulted through meetings and workshops as a part of the Management Plan development process.
A comprehensive GIS analysis of the spatial plans, existing infrastructure and visitation trends, as well as biodiversity and the conservation goals of the Natura 2000 ecological network were made. Based on the analysis, zones of different degrees of disturbance and a visitor use zone were defined. Also, based on the spatial analysis and visitor capacity analysis, traffic regime improvements were suggested.
Taking into account all previous analyses and consultations, an action plan for visitors management was prepared, containing management goals and activities with an implementation timetable, indicators, priorities, associates, a financial plan and a monitoring plan.
