Plitvice Lakes National Park

War in the region; Destruction of the forests and park facilities; Poaching of bears; Dynamite fishing

At its last session the Committee expressed deep regret and concern regarding effects of the unrest in the area on the state of conservation of this site and expressed the hope that the conditions would soon return to normal to allow a joint UNESCO/IUCN mission to review damage and plan rehabilitation programmes. A member of the Secretariat who visited the site in January 1992 in connection with the conservation of Dubrovnik, was informed that Green Peace Volunteers from the United Kingdom had gone on mission to this site. However, there has been no written report arising from that mission which was accessible to the Secretariat. IUCN is in contact with the Green Peace Office in UK and is attempting to obtain information that may have been published as a result of the mission.

In the meantime, the Secretariat has received preliminary announcements concerning the organization, by the Institute for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Zagreb, of an international meeting on the 'Effects of War on the Environment', which among other issues will also address the conservation of Plitvice Lake National Park. This international meeting is scheduled to be convened in Zagreb, from 13-17 April, 1993. The documents received by the Secretariat in this regard have been transmitted to IUCN for review and comments

The Bureau noted that the Croatian authorities have officially informed UNESCO that they will abide by the obligations of the World Heritage Convention and requested that a joint UNESCO/IUCN mission be undertaken to assess the impacts which unrest in the region has had on the state of conservation of Plitvice Lakes National Park. The Bureau recommended that the Committee, as requested by the Croatian authorities, inscribe Plitvice Lakes National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Bureau also decided to set aside an amount of US$30,000 as emergency assistance to enable the organization of a joint UNESCO/IUCN mission to the site, in co-operation with the Croatian authorities as well as the relevant UN bodies responsible for monitoring the conflict in the region, in order to prepare and initiate the implementation of an international assistance project for the rehabilitation of the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

As requested by the Bureau, a team of three experts representing IUCN, the Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe and the UNESCO World.Heritage Centre, respectively, undertook a mission to Plitvice Lakes National Park, from 18 to 27 September 1992, in co-operation with the UN Protection Forces, the Ministry of Environment of Croatia and the local authorities in Plitvice. The main conclusions of this mission are as follows:

1. Despite the fact that it is situated in a region which has been frequently affected by armed conflict during the last 18 months, the natural values for which the Plitvice Lakes National Park was granted World Heritage status have been preserved. The site retains aesthetic qualities and ecosystems of universal significance and permits the continuation of ecological processes necessary for long-term maintenance of those values.
2. The infrastructure inside the Park, such as the administration buildings, hotels, restaurants, parking areas and houses belonging to Park staff, have not suffered major damage, but show evidence of considerable vandalism. Destruction of property in and around the Park area has been selective, primarily confined to the villages in and adjacent to the northern boundary of the Park. Vandalism of hotels and related infrastructure has also been more extensive in the vicinity of the northern boundary of the Park.
3. The equipment and facilities which served a significant tourism industry in the Park and neighbouring regions, e.g. electrically operated boats, diesel buses, bank and a post-office building, have also survived the armed conflict in the region with minimal damage. It is worth noting that a certain number of the Park staff, originating from Korenica and/or the Krajina region have continued to reside in their living quarters within the Park and have made efforts to protect these facilities and in some cases undertaken the work necessary to repair damage caused by vandalism. Although tourism in the region has temporarily halted and economic life of the people is becoming increasingly difficult, the Park continues to have a staff carrying out basic maintenance operations and enjoys the support of the Mayor and other authorities in Korenica.
4. The natural and ecological significance of the Park is recognized and appreciated by the people living in and around the Park, in the Korenica district of the region of Krajina. Those who were employed and/or resident in the Plitvice area, but were forced to withdraw to Zagreb following the escalation of the armed conflict in the Krajina region after March 1991, also have special attachment to this World Heritage site and are eager to return, and are hoping that the security situation will improve to enable the revival of tourism. The high degree of respect that the people have for the integrity of Park boundaries and their recognition of the economic importance of Plitvice as the major revenue earner for the region are important reasons which ensured the protection of the site even during times of conflict.
5. The tourism industry in the Plitvice Lakes National Park and neighbouring regions is unlikely to be revived until such time when the existing security check-points along the road from Zagreb to the Park are removed and free access to the Park is re-established. The people living in the vicinity of the Park in the district of Korenica are experiencing substantial economic hardships, particularly electricity and water shortages. Removal of fuelwood from the forests surrounding the Park is already underway, in anticipation of the needs of the 1992-93 winter season. The duration and severity of the winter will influence the demand for fuelwood and test the resolve and the commitment of the people to continuerespecting the integrity of the boundaries of the Park.
6. Technical measures for improving the management of the Park, e.g. improving water supplies and sewage treatment, regulating the flow of tourists and planning the location of new tourist installations, could only be taken after the current political conflict between the authorities of the Government of Croatia in Zagreb, and the region of Rrajina which is seeking autonomy, is resolved. Resurgence of armed conflict in the region or other events which would unduly delay the resolution of this political problem will further increase the economic hardship of people living in and near the Park and as a result will threaten the Park's survival.

The following recommendations, have been derived from these conclusions, and are proposed for the consideration of the Committee:

1. The Committee inscribe this site on the List of World Heritage in Danger, with the provision for removing the site from the Danger List as soon as stability is re-established and the relationship between the Government of Croatia and the region of Krajina is normalized.
2. The Committee draw the attention of the authorities of the Government of Croatia, the region of Krajina and the district of Korenica, to the fact that the Plitvice Lakes National Park, in accordance with its World Heritage status, should be a focus for co-operation between local, regional, national and international agencies and organizations, and hence urge them to expedite the completion of negotiations necessary to resolve their political differences.
3. The Committee request the competent authorities in Croatia, the region of Krajina and the district of Korenica to fully co-operate with UNPROFOR and other UN agencies working in the area in order to implement the Vance Plan and its successor resolutions in order to normalize the political and military situation in areas surrounding the Plitvice Lakes National Park.
4. (d)    The Committee request UNPROFOR to direct its forces responsible for protecting the Plitvice Lakes National Park area to carry out, as frequently as possible, surveillance patrols in and around the Park, and undertake reconnaissance surveys of currently inaccessible parts of the Park, particularly in the Corcova Uvale area in the north-western sector of the Park which comprises one of the oldest forest stand in Europe and other areas suspected of being mined, and take all measures necessary to regain access to those parts.
5. The Committee request UNPROFOR. and the competent authorities of the Government of Croatia to include the conservation of the Plitvice Lakes National Park as a subject to be addressed by such bodies as the Joint Commission which bring together authorities from the Government of Croatia, the region of Krajina, UNPROFOR and the European Community to address particular problems. The Joint Commission should be requested to bring together scientists from both sides to visit the Park to undertake studies to monitor water quality in the lakes, review past practices of forestry and tourism operations and estimate the brown bear population in the Park. The Committee should authorize the Chairman to approve funds necessary for the organization of such joint field studies.
6. The Committee request the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with UNPROFOR and the competent authorities in the Government of Croatia, to organize a follow-up international mission to the Plitvice Lakes National Park during late April or early May 1993 in order to provide a report on its state of conservation to the seventeenth session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee scheduled to be convened during June/July 1993. Some members from joint teams of scientists who are expected to undertake field studies in the Plitvice Lakes National Park area should participate in this international mission.
7. The Committee recommend that the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with competent authorities in other UN agencies, the Government of Croatia and regional and local authorities convene, if conditions permit, an international workshop for planning the future management of the Plitvice Lakes National Park in order to ensure co­operation and participation of all individual experts, and institutions committed to the conservation of the Plitvice Lakes National Park and World Heritage site.

A detailed report of the mission is available (in English only), for consultation by the members of the Committee.