NATURE PARK "TELAŠĆICA" ON DUGI OTOK (CROATIA) - SOME ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

The Nature Park "Telašćica" covers the southern part of the island Dugi Otok (Long Island), one of the bigger islands along the Croatian coast. It is only 25 km away from Zadar in southern direction, neighbouring National Park "Kornati" which extends towards south-east. The central office is in Sali, the main administrative centre of the Dugi Otok (1190 inh. 1991). N. P. "Telašćica" is proclaimed in 1988 after being divided apart from N. P. "Kornati". It covers an area of 25,95 km of the land (Dugi Otok and belonging islets), and 44,55 km of the sea, altogether 70,50 km. Although the environmental plan had been made there, some problems of its protection and sustainable development have not been solved yet. The conflict between the idea of complete protection and that of an intensive exploitation of the territory has been existed. The Environmental Plan of N. P. "Telašćica", made in 1990 suggests a series of actions to be started in order to insure functional and comprehending protection of biological and physical nature.


Introduction
One of the most beautiful and most interesting protected nature objects in Croatia is undoubtedly the Nature Park "Telašćica".Covering SE part of the island Dugi Otok (Long Island) it is one of the 5 natural parks in Croatia, but the only one situated on the islands.There are also 7 national parks in Croatia.Three of them are situated on the islands ("Brijuni", "Kornati", "Mljet").The park is situated in the middle of the Croatian Adriatic coastal zone.It is only 25 km away from Zadar in southern direction, 82 neighbouring National Park "Kornati" which extends towards south-east.The central office is in Sali, the main administrative centre of the Dugi Otok (1190 inhabitants 1991).
Dugi Otok covers an area of 114,4 km 2 and in 1991 it had only 2873 inhabitants, showing a low density of population, 25,1 inh./km 2 of.The processes of stagnation and emigration have characterised this island in last 40 years.
"Telašćica" was proclaimed a nature park in 1988 after being separated from National Park "Kornati".It covers an area of 25,95 km 2 of the land (Dugi Otok and belonging islets), and 44,55 km 2 of the sea.The name of the park comes from the name of the deep and secure bay on the southern part of the Long Island.

Protection of natural phenomena and historic heritage
The main natural phenomena that have been protected in the Park are: imposing maritime cliffs opened to the Adriatic, the Telašćica Bay, salt lake Mir (Peace) and autochthonous vegetation.
The Environmental Plan of the Nature Park "Telašćica" created in 1990 as a new stimulating administrative document promotes its further purposeful and directed development.The basic idea of arranging this exclusive object of nature results from the protection law, which will reduce to minimum future building enterprises and respect the survival and development of nature phenomena.It is obviously a positive change in reference to the previous conceptions.But it will be necessary to compensate for these innovations by providing other locations for building tourist complexes in the area of the southern part of the Long Island.
A series of concepts has been provided to insure functional and comprehending protection of biological and physical nature.Valuating this way, nature phenomena are prevented from being devastated.On the area of 70,5 km 2 of protected nature, the zone of fundamental phenomenon with the Long Island's cliffs, sea waters including Telašćica bay, salt lake Mir, caves, pine and holm oak forests, flocks of mouflons, profusion of floristic specimens with often endemic forms, geomorphologic, oceanographic and other localities and objects have been specially protected.Careful consideration has been given to preserving historical heritage such as Liburnian ruins and tumulus's (tombs), antique remains, small old Croatian preromanic churches and others.
The Plan has been presented in a book with adequate graphic and picture illustrations.The graphic part of the Plan has been elaborated on the solid cartographic copy of the basic state map in scale 1: 5000.

Objects in the function of visiting
The Plan in its analytic part gives arguments and numerous important, so far little known, facts about picturesque, vivid and inspiring area of the Park "Telašćica".

87
Besides the objects which are in function of its direct protection and visiting (entrances, admission points, information, objects in protection both of nature and culture, quays, official and guarding points, waste containers etc.), the Plan provides also the complement of existing services.In the cove Mir new mooring quays are projected as well as building of a new maritime reception and service point in the cove Čušćica.There would be the only place in the Park for accommodation of visitors with boats and yachts.Building of smaller reception and supply service with necessary moorages has been planned in the cove Podugopolje, too.
Several educational pathways have been chosen on the territory of Telašćica.In future they would help visitors to learn much more about the Park and have lovelier and more complete experience, which is not the case at present.Professional guides would have an important part in it.
The maximum of visitors would be approximately 3000 persons a day.Applying severe conditions of protection the essential functions of the Park might be realised.And they are: protective, educational, scientific and tourist-recreational functions.

Changing the use of weekend houses
The plan solves the question of existing houses in accordance with law possibilities, which are the result of the regime strictness in this area.It has been proposed that the most of weekend houses should be converted into objects which function would be valuating the sea, and which should be in accordance with the functions of the Nature Park previously mentioned.Accordingly, further building of weekend houses is not possible.There is also the second law regulation, which prescribes building inside the zone of 21 metres from the sea.
On the other hand some possibilities of building outside the zone of fundamental phenomena are opened, but only on agricultural terrain, with the exclusive aim of maintaining and revitalising the practice of growing olives or crops and cattle (mostly sheep) breeding.The Plan pays special attention to these potentials, especially in the part, which considers developing possibilities.
To obtain complete valuation of the Telašćica area, founded on scientific, cultural and civilisational bases, planners have proposed elaboration of specific scientific studies of the Park such as geomorphologic study, biological studies, studies analysing the improvement of agriculture and mariculture and the programme of further archaeological researches.
Regimes of building, of area arrangement as well as all interventions in this space are relatively severe.The fact is that all objects must reflex the scenery characteristics of the Park and be adequately and unobtrusively inserted into the landscape, in order not to perturb aesthetic, ecological and all other natural-geographic features of this peculiar and valuable part of Croatian archipelago.Building in so called "mixed" zones Čušćica, Mir and Podugopolje will be possible only when based on a more detailed planning documentation.As early as the first phase of the Plan was worked out, the authors got several affirmative opinions concerning the proposed concept of protection and arrangement.There were, however, attitudes arguing for the extension of tourist-lodging capacities and permission to increase the maximal number of visitors and to change some other elements.All suggestions were taken into consideration, but the proposed plan (concept) did not suffer essential changes.
The authors of the Plan try to conciliate various interests that appear in this area.The conflict between the idea of complete protection and that of an intensive exploitation of the territory has long existed.The latter has been insisting on large tourist capacity, weekend building, and industrial fish cultivation (mariculture).
A complex expert analysis of the area possibilities, especially those of the aquatic zone and the coast, have demonstrated that it is a question of an extremely delicate and specific territory, which cannot suffer any form of devastation.Some biogeographical (floristical, etc.) characteristics of this interesting and valuable area, and above all an extremely beautiful complex of karstic hidrogeomorphological phenomena (cliffs, salt lake, etc.) prove it.
The first and basic resource of tourist valuation are the preserved beauties of this Park.Significant financial results may be obtained through preserved landscape view scenes of natural as well as cultural scenery, accessibility to attractive locations, modern methods of guiding and treating visitors and additional extra activities.
Obviously, if the concept of strict protection should surrender to the concept of mass tourist building (which inevitably brings about many problems in preserving nature), the protection of Telašćica would be useless.In that case, the fact that it is proclaimed a nature park, as well as the fact that it has an environmental plan, would be worthless too.

Concept basis and further procedure
Quite conscious of the difficulty of the task, in the space, which was several times the subject of different interests, the planners propose rigorous protection of the area, whether it comprehends natural phenomena or traditional anthropogenic landscape.It means building only indispensable objects, which will provide qualitative visiting, revitalisation of olive gardens and fields with maximal respect for the inhabitants' benefit, partial inclusion of existing objects into functioning of the Park etc.It includes complete control of the territory by modern expert and purposeful Park management and boarding teams, control of the stay in the Park with qualitative servicing, correct attitude towards monuments etc.
The plan was finished in 1990 and then forwarded to public discussion.A part of local population asked for more freedom in building.On the other hand strict ecologists demanded even more rigorous measures of protection.Public discussions have shown that the planners have well estimated all relevant facts and points of view.The plan started being applied in 1991.Unfortunately, the aggression on Croatia completely stopped tourist traffic and larger possibilities of arranging the Park.
After the war ceasing and the reintegration of the largest part of occupied territories, new circumstances offer opportunities of arranging, valuating and developing of the Park.Tourist traffic started to increase and in 1997 reached 50.000 visitors.

Conclusion
The conflict between the idea of complete protection and that of an intensive exploitation of the Croatian Nature Park "Telašćica" territory has been existed.The latter has been insisting on large tourist capacity, weekend building, mariculture etc. Problem of the house building has been one of the most significance showing the weakness of the administrative rule.Also, the lack of the needed brains first of all biologists, geographers, ecologists and environmental engineers, has been a crucial problem even now.Some previous projections have been recently deeply changed by some older concepts dealing with a big and mass tourist objects.These have been converted in concepts of the protection of the natural phenomena.Nautical tourism has been seriously considered and recognized as very promising activity.
The Plan suggests a series of actions to be started in order to insure functional and comprehending protection of biological and physical nature.In its analytic part the Plan gives arguments and numerous important facts about picturesque and inspiring area of the Park.The Plan provides also the complement of existing services.Several educational pathways have been chosen on the territory of the Park.The plan solves the question of existing houses in accordance with law possibilities.It has been proposed that he most of weekend houses should be converted into objects which function would be valuating and protection of the sea, and other basic functions of the Park.Quite conscious of the seriosity of the task, the planners propose rigorous protection of the area, whether it comprehends natural phenomena or traditional anthropogenic landscape.