Residents' Perception Toward Protected Areas − Carska Bara Special Nature Reserve (Vojvodina, Serbia)
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ISSN 0354-8724 (hard copy) | ISSN 1820-7138 (online) Residents’ perception toward protected areas − Carska Bara Special Nature Reserve (Vojvodina, Serbia) Tamara Jojić GlavonjićA*, Jovana BrankovA,B, Dragana MiljanovićA Received: September 24, 2018 | Revised: December 21, 2018 | Accepted: December 23, 2018 DOI: 10.5937/gp22-18960 Abstract The research was carried out in the villages of the buffer zone and the close environment of the Ramsar site “Stari Begej – Carska Bara” Special Nature Reserve, in the Serbian part of Banat. The survey meth- od was used to establish the local population’s attitude towards the impact of area protection on their life quality and the degree of cooperation with the managing body. A total of 393 adults were surveyed, which accounted for 5.34% of the total adult population of the studied area (five villages). In order to provide opinions from all stakeholders, the managing body was also asked to respond to some of the questions. A comparison of the responses revealed a generally low level of dialogue and understanding between the two interested parties. The results indicate some differences in the degree of impact de- pending on the location of the villages, as well as the occupation of the respondents and their age. Keywords: protected area; Ramsar; managing; attitude towards the impact; Serbia Introduction A number of studies have been conducted on the im- protected area, but did not abide to strictly defined re- pact of protection on the life of the local population strictions and was not satisfied with the management in Ramsar areas around the world (Tomićević et al., of the protected area. An increased number of visi- 2010; Karki, 2013; Bennett & Dearden, 2014; etc.). The tors and tourism-related development were desirable, study that is the most similar to the research present- as well as the institutional and financial support from ed in this paper in terms of the subject and tested var- the state. As a result of the research, some guidelines iables was conducted twenty years ago in northern for future development were defined, such as: the de- Greece (Christopoulou & Tsachalidis, 2004). In 1997– velopment of ecotourism and agrotourism, design- 1998, a team of students from the Technological Edu- ing programs or workshops and seminars for the local cational Institute of Drama surveyed the local popu- population, with an emphasis on the importance of lation of four Ramsar areas, i.e. 32 settlements in their preserving wetlands (especially in settlements where surroundings. The sample consisted of 1600 question- the respondents opted for drying out) and participa- naires, 400 per protected area. As a result, it was con- tion management that would enable all of the above- cluded that the local population, which mostly con- mentioned requirements (Christopoulou & Tsacha- sisted of farmers, was aware of the boundaries of the lidis, 2004). The main point of distinction between A Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić”, Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, Đure Jakšića 9/III, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected] B Institute of Sports, Tourism and Service, South Ural State University, Sony Krivoy street 60, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia; [email protected] * Corresponding author: Tamara Jojić Glavonjić; e-mail: [email protected], tel. +38163 8212 505 264 Geographica Pannonica • Volume 22, Issue 4, 264–275 (December 2018) Tamara Jojić Glavonjić, Jovana Brankov, Dragana Miljanović ecotourism and other types of sustainable tourism is • the length of period “under protection”, where the the fact that it must be seriously planned. It is nec- period of at least ten years was taken as reference, essary to devise advertising strategies adjusted to the because it takes some time under protection to see target group of nature lovers, as well as to train man- whether the selected management model is efficient. agers, empower locals to provide tourist guidance ser- Out of the ten Ramsar sites in Serbia, only has met vices and adopt appropriate policies aimed at promot- the defined criteria. This protected area and its pop- ing the sustainable development of local communities. ulation were already subject to a similar research five It is particularly important to ensure a wider involve- years ago. The Institute of Economic Sciences from ment of the local population in tourism development Belgrade, led by Professor Drašković, carried out a (starting with the obligation to obtain their consent for survey in 2012 to explore the protected area, namely tourism development in their villages) through train- to evaluate it as a natural capital. The study was pre- ing and assignment of funding aimed at encourag- vailingly focused on economic aspects, namely the ing ecotourism development (Wood, 2002). As far as concept of environmental or green accounting, which agrotourism is concerned, the goal is to ensure multi- is materialized in money. According to this concept, ple profits for the local economy, or benefits from mul- the value of a natural area is observed as a resource tiple segments. Some authors (Petrović et al., 2017) cite and analyzed in the context of profits gained and the the classification of agrotourism subjects established amounts to be paid for the damage done to it. When by Sznajder, Przezborska, and Scrimgeour (2009) into determining the boundaries of the population survey four distinct groups: those who directly provide tour- area, Drašković (2013) and his team were guided by ists with accommodation and services; those who use the spatial coverage, i.e. the boundaries of the Special agrotourism to sell their products; those who promote Purpose Area Spatial Plan for the Stari Begej – Car- their products through agrotourism; and those who ska Bara Special Nature Reserve (Official Journal of support this type of tourism (travel agencies, trans- the Province of Vojvodina, 2009), which encompassed port companies, souvenir manufacturers). five settlements partly included in the Reserve’s buffer Similar research studies have been carried out in zone and close surroundings. Serbia (Stojanović et al., 2011; Drašković, 2013; Pavić Our survey, conducted in 2017, had the same cover- et al., 2016), where Ramsar sites are not rare. Ten ar- age. The basic hypothesis (H1) was: Declaring the Car- eas currently have this status, while the Institute for ska Bara Special Nature Reserve has little or no im- Nature Conservation of Serbia has compiled a list pact on the life and economy of the local population. that identifies 68 potential Ramsar sites. However, the H1 contained five sub-hypotheses: main problem is that their protection remains solely 1. H1a: The local residents have no benefit from the in the domain of legal protection. life in the protected zone or in the immediate sur- When defining the research area for this study, we roundings of the Reserve. considered the following criteria: 2. H1b: The local residents do not suffer any harm • the proximity of the settlement, namely the loca- caused by living in the protected zone or the imme- tion of the settlement in the area close to the pro- diate vicinity of the Reserve. tected asset. For this purpose, we consulted Special 3. H1c: The age of the local inhabitants has to do with Purpose Area Spatial Plans, which have been de- their decision to stay or leave. fined for most Ramsar sites, in accordance with the 4. H1d: The local residents’ education level has an im- Law on Planning and Construction. Settlements pact on their preference for staying in the place of that fall under the protection regime III and the residence or leaving it. buffer zone were taken into consideration; 5. H1e: The location, i.e. the distance of the settlement • the extent of traditional uses of the protected area’s from the Reserve affects the local residents’ percep- natural resources, such as agriculture, mowing, use tion of the Reserve and its impact on the quality of of bulrush, grazing, aquaculture; and life. Methodology The study area ed in the territory of the municipality of Zrenjanin, The Carska Bara Special Nature Reserve (the term the largest municipality of the Serbian part of Banat, means “Imperial Pond”) is a protected area located in and covers a total area of 4726 ha, including parts of the northern part of Serbia, in the Autonomous Prov- the cadastral municipalities of Belo Blato, Knićanin, ince of Vojvodina, in the Central Banat District, one Lukino Selo, Perlez and Stajićevo. The Reserve con- of the 29 administrative districts in Serbia. It is locat- sists of two distinct spatial units – Mužljanski Rit Geographica Pannonica • Volume 22, Issue 4, 264–275 (December 2018) 265 Residents’ perception toward protected areas − Carska Bara Special Nature Reserve (Vojvodina, Serbia) Emerald spot are birds, with about 250 species (Min- istry of environmental protection and Institute for nature conservation of Serbia, 2007). The managing body is the Ečka Fishing Farm, located in Lukino Selo (Manager). Interviews The research used a survey method. The survey cov- ered only the adult inhabitants of the five villages in the area of the Special Nature Reserve (the Reserve): Belo Blato, Knićanin, Lukino Selo, Perlez and Stajićevo. A total of 393 responses were received, accounting for 5.34% of the villages’ adult population. The respond- ents were either interviewed or they filled in the ques- tionnaires personally. The questionnaire consisted of 39 questions in total. The first eight questions related to the personal characteristics of the respondents (sex, age, education level, etc.), and the remaining questions were divided into three groups. The first group of ques- tions was related to the use of resources, the second to tourism, and the third to the respondents’ attitudes to- wards the Reserve. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (ver- sion 13.0). Descriptive statistical methods were used Figure 1.