1
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN PROTECTED AREAS: PRIVATE
FORESTS IN NATIONAL PARK DJERDAP
Vojislav MILIJIC
1
, Ivana GRUJICIC
2
, Nikola STAMENKOVSKI
3
Abstract: Protected areas cover approximately 6 % of Serbian state territory, on the
other hand, more than 15 % of Serbia is covered with private forests, and 35 % of total
areas of protected forests are private.
National Park Djerdap is one of the largest protected areas in Serbia, and
approximately 17 % of its territory consists of private forests. Existing private
entrepreneurial initiatives related to forestry within and around national park, apart
from encouraging rural development of the region, may cause conflicts with nature
protection regime within national park.
The objective of this paper is to analyze role of forest owners in nature
protection framework and relations between private forest owners and administration of
NP Djerdap.
Key words: protected areas, private forests, regulations, relations, conflicts.
1.
INTRODUCTION
In Serbia, under different type of protection is 542,684 ha, which is 6.31% of
the State territory. Over 65% of protected areas are forests and forestland. On the other
hand, more than 15 % of Serbian state territory is covered with private forests, while 35
% of all forests in protected areas are private (Grujicic at al, 2008).
The National Park Djerdap
4
is one of the five Serbian national parks and it is
located in Northeastern part of the country. Total area of national park is 63,608 ha, and
1
Vojislav Miliji
ć
, PhD candidate, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade University, Kneza Višeslava 1, Belgrade,
Serbia. Contact: tel. +381 62 553 089, e-mail: [email protected]
2
Ivana Gruji
č
i
ć
, MSc candidate, Alpen-Adria Universitat Klagenfurt, Austria., Ministry of agriculture, forestry
and water management, Belgrade, Serbia. Contact: tel. +381 64 2630 793, e-mail: [email protected]
3
Nikola Stamenkovski, BsC student, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade University, Kneza Višeslava 1, Belgrade,
Serbia. Contact: tel. +381 61 147 1145, e-mail: [email protected]
2
44,851 ha, or 70 % is covered with forests (Medarevic et al, 2007). State forests cover
83 % of National park forestland, while private forests cover around 17 %.
According to national categorization, all national parks in Serbia have a status
of protected area of extraordinary importance (1991/a, 1992, 1993), and within it a
protection regimes
5
have been established. Forests within the area of national parks are
managed by public enterprises of national parks (1993), which conduct professional and
technical tasks
6
in private forests within the national park area (1991/b).
By declaring an area as protected, it is inevitable to put private forest property
within it under certain protection regime. This introduces the fact that management of
private forests within protected areas must be adjusted with nature protection measures
(1991/a). However, forests, in mountain areas represent to inhabitants significant source
of additional, and for some, main incomes (Milijic et al, 2007; Bogdanov, 2007).
Therefore, nature protection measures, consisting of prohibited or limited usage of
forests can often put forest owners in a position of passive observers of their own
properties, and often lead to direct conflicts with nature protection measures (Grujicic et
al, 2008).
Every attempt at conflict resolution needs to begin with a detailed description of
the conflicting interests that are at the basis of every conflict (Glueck, 2004). It is
necessary to reach the essence of a conflict in order to find suitable forms of conflict
solving mechanisms.
The objective of this paper is to present the results of a research conducted with
private forest owners from the National park of Djerdap and to analyze their role in
nature protection framework and their relations with National park administration. In the
paper, a special attention is given to owners’ attitudes toward existing and potential
conflicts with nature protection regime and their propensity to represent their own
interests.
4
The Djerdap National Park stretches along the right bank of Danube, for about 100 km, covering a narrow
strip of forested hills, which is about 2-8 km wide, in altitude range from 50 to 800 meters. Djerdap most
characteristic features are exceptional wealth and diversity of flora, fauna, geomorphologic objects and
cultural monuments from various historical periods. Biological diversity of this National park consists of
over 900 species of vascular flora, over 35 endemic and relict species, 55 forest types, 130 bird species, 50
mammal species, geomorphologic, hydrological, historical and cultural values (Medarevic et al, 2007).
5
Protection regimes consist of a group of measures and conditions, which determine the means, and level of
protection, use, management and improvement of the protected areas. Within 1
st
degree of protection, the
usage of natural assets and all the activities, apart from scientific researches, are strictly prohibited. Within
2
nd
degree of protection usage of natural assets is strictly controlled, while the activities within can be
performed in a manner that cannot have consequences on assets’ primary values. In 3
rd
degree of
protection, usage of natural assets can be selective, limited, and controlled.
6
Professional and technical tasks in private forests consist of: issuing licenses for logging to forest owners, tree
marking in private forests, issuing timber and fuel wood transport licenses for forest owners, organizing
activities on forest protection in private forests.
