Protection planning for geological and geomorphological monuments of nature: Methodology and examples

Abstract

Most unfortunately, protection of geological and geomorphologic monuments of nature in practice usually boils down to adoption of an administrative enactment declaring that certain area of interest is thereby protected without any firm guarantee that such enactment shall be observed. Such legislative conservation, though necessary, is not sufficient to stop the processes of mechanical and chemical degradation. Extremely complex process of planning and protection for such sites requires coordinated and planned interventions based on appropriate documentation. In addition to preservation of their essential characteristic and setting the terms of their adequate utilization, the protection plan should include elaboration and realization of technical, biological and other measures of reconstruction and protection. Examples of various approaches to protection planning for the geological and geomofphological monuments of nature could be attributed to the existing differences between the sites (type of monument, size of protected area, protection regime) and problems of financial, organizational and methodological nature. Improvement of the efficiency of the overall nature protection system is expected to enable us to apply the expounded protection planning methodology and afterwards proceed with immediate realization of the objectives set for the particular site and surrounding area, which in turn should contribute to further improvement of the protection planning methods and techniques.

Geološki i geomorfloški spomenici prirode određuju se odgovarajućim zakonom. Planiranje i zaštita geoloških i geomorfloških spomenika prirode odvija se na osnovu posebne metodologije.