ECOTOURISM IN THE PROTECTED AREAS OF THE FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: A CASE STUDY OF NATURAL MONUMENT "TAJAN"

Abstract

In the tourism sector, in the last twenty years, a new trend has emerged - ecotourism - in response to overuse and even exploitation of non-renewable natural resources for tourism. When traveling, people want to experience nature, but they need not endanger the natural environment with their stay. Bosnia and Herzegovina have less than 1 % of protected territory, which ranks it in the countries with the least formal protection in Europe. The regional average is 7 %, so the goal, which has lately been supported by international institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina through various initiated projects, is to expand protected areas and to use their development potential. The motives are the protection of extremely rich biodiversity of global importance, and the economic development of protected areas, local communities, and the state as a whole. The main purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of ecotourism, with particular reference to its development in the protected areas of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as an example of the Tajan Natural Monument. The Tajan area is the only protected area in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. According to the IUCN classification, it belongs to the V category of protection. Analyzing the current situation of its present tourist valorization, as well as the possibilities of utilization for tourism purposes in the future development, this paper identifies the basic problems and given guidelines for the promotion of ecotourism in this area.