Preliminary studies for the effective visitor management of Slovensky Raj National Park
Duration: July 2017 - February 2018
Brief description:
With a total of about 750,000 visitors per year the National Park "Slovak Paradise" is the second most visited national park in Slovakia (first is the National Park High Tatras with a total of about 1.2 million visitors per year). The park is famous for its numerous gorges which have a depth of up to 300 meters. The best known are Veľký Sokol (with 4.5 km also the longest), Suchá Belá, Piecky and Kyseľ, - all of which have numerous waterfalls. The National Park contains several designated hiking trails with a total length of about 300 km. The trails are equipped with ladders, hand rails/chains and bridges (wooden bridges, etc.) to facilitate the ascent and the crossing of rivers. With its high number of designated hiking trails the national park is number one in the Slovakian mountain regions.
The gorge of Suchá Belá is currently one of the areas with highest visitor numbers. With pressure on habitats pronounced, developing an effective visitor management is of urgent need here.
In the first phase of the project a compilation and assessment of up-to-date information will be conducted. Based on this information, a number of scenarios how the area, consisting of the gorges and adjacent communities, will develop in the next 10 years will be established as a background for the development and implementation of specific measures for the second phase of the project.
Project Partners:
Nadácia Ekopolis (Ekopolis Foundation), Banská Bystrica (SK)
National Park Administration Slovensky Raj (Štátna ochrana prírody SR (ŠOP SR), Spišská Nová Ves (SK)
Micro Region Slovensky Raj, Hrabušice (SK)
Supported by:
This project is supported by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Environmental Foundation) and the Heidehof Stiftung (Heidehof Foundation).