Protected area management effectiveness and COVID-19: The case of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.

ABSTRACT: The decline in economic activities and tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the pressure on the environment and protected area (PA) systems to some extent. However, the financial losses within nature-based tourism due to travel restrictions and park closures will negatively impact tourism income-dependent PAs' management effectiveness. This exploratory study incorporates a risk-assessment framework to investigate and provide first insights into the pandemic's influence on the delivery of management outputs in Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.Although in 2020, this PA faced a 75% decline in overall revenue compared to the year before, analysis suggests that, in the short term, conservation-related outputs are least affected. Visitor management and PA efforts to support the

SUBMITTER: Mandic A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9764333 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature