Organization of the protected area management in Serbia: a comparative analysis of defined groups of managers

Abstract

Protected area (PA) is a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed through legal or other effective means to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Organization of protected areas management represents a complex system of different actors that work with each other and different structures and procedures. Therefore, the organization of protected areas management is viewed from a systematic perspective that involves external and internal environments which need to be considered in the process of decision-making. The long-term sustainable management of PAs is defined through three objectives that include conservation, education and recreation, and strengthening of local communities. The organization of National park (NP) and Nature Park (NrP) management includes several functions from the executive management of PAs, through evaluation, protection and conservation of PAs, to technical maintenance of PAs. The main research objective was to study and define the organization of PA management within the defined groups of PA managers in Serbia and examine differences in the PA management in Serbia. The specific research questions to be answered were: (i) how PA management is organized in the field, (ii) what are the differences in the implementation of management documents and (iii) what are the differences in the cooperation with different stakeholders.