Respondents\u27 attitudes towards tourism in protected natural areas: the example of Lonjsko polje

Zaštićena područja imaju primarnu ulogu u očuvanju bioraznolikosti nekog područja, nerijetko su valorizirana i kao resurs u turizmu. Rad se temelji na rezultatima empirijskog istraživanja provedenog na uzorku od 160 ispitanika. Osnovni cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi mišljenja i stavove ispitanika o razvijenosti ruralnog turizma i njegovom utjecaju na očuvanje bioraznolikosti u Parku prirode Lonjsko polje (Park). Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da 56,9% ispitanika smatra da onečišćenja nastala ljudskom aktivnošću najviše utječu na narušavanje bioraznolikosti, ali i da je informiranje posjetitelja o odgovornom ponašanju način očuvanja bioraznolikosti u Parku. Ispitanici su suglasni s izjavom da je ruralni turizam „eco-friendly“ i da održivi oblik turizma doprinosi očuvanju prirode. Utvrđeno je da dob i stupanj obrazovanja nisu statistički značajno povezani s percepcijom ispitanika o utjecaju ruralnog turizma na bioraznolikost u parkovima prirode. Ispitanici su umjereni u stavu da se turizam ne bi trebao provoditi u parkovima prirode (M = 2,85) odnosno da ruralni turizam u parku zagađuje okoliš i narušava krajolik (M = 2,61). S visokim stupnjem suglasnosti (M = 4,04) ispitanici smatraju da Park ima potencijal za razvoj ekoturizma.Protected areas have a primary role in preserving the biodiversity of a region and are often valorized as a resource in tourism. The paper is based on the results of an empirical study conducted on a sample of 160 respondents. The main research goal was to determine the opinions and attitudes of the respondents about the development of rural tourism and its impact on the conservation of biodiversity in the Lonjsko polje Nature Park (Park). The results show that 56.9% of respondents consider that pollution caused by human activity has the greatest impact on biodiversity loss, but also that informing visitors about responsible behavior is a way to preserve biodiversity in the Park. Respondents agree with the statement that rural tourism is "eco-friendly" and that a sustainable form of tourism contributes to nature conservation. It was found that age and level of education were not statistically significantly related to the respondents\u27 perception of the impact of rural tourism on biodiversity in nature parks. Respondents are moderate in the view that tourism should not be carried out in nature parks (M = 2.85) or that rural tourism in the park pollutes the environment and disrupts the landscape (M = 2.61). With a high degree of agreement (M = 4.04), respondents believe that the Park has the potential to develop ecotourism