THE ISSUES OF BEACH MANAGEMENT IN CROATIA, WITH EMPHASIS ON ZADAR COUNTY

摘要

Beaches are resources that significantly enrich the tourist offer of the countries situated on the seashore, river coasts and lakes. Apart from economic significance, beaches also have recreational importance, and are, therefore, vulnerable to various potentially adverse influences that result from natural or manmade causes which gradually destroy them. That is the reason which explains the importance of defining all the impacts and pressures on the beaches in order to include the beach management in the global and local development strategies that are the result of integrated coastal zone management. In order to use the beach within acceptable limits, as a resource for tourism, while simultaneously supporting the beach ecosystem’s biodiversity, various methods of analysis and beach evaluation are being applied recently. The authors of the paper start from the basic definition and classification of the beach as a resource. They give an overview of analysis methods and their evaluation, and provide guidelines and recommendations for the sustainable management of beaches. The importance of education is emphasized to understand and accept the development as a qualitative component as opposed to growth as a quantitative category. The authors analyze the legal framework of beach management in Croatia, with emphasis on Zadar county.