Geoecological evaluation of the relief of the Hutovo Blato Nature Park

Abstract

The geoecological evaluation of the relief of the Hutovo blato Nature Park from the perspective of its touristic and recreational valorization was carried out based on previous geomorphological analysis. The paper examines tourism and recreation as sociological elements of the development of the Hutovo blato Nature Park. For the geoecological evaluation, landforms of a certain degree of attractiveness (peaks, slopes, troughs and valley bottoms, ravines, the area around Lake Deran, the area around Lake Svitava and Lake Svitava) were selected, which were then evaluated for the following forms of recreation: walking, mountain biking, recreational cycling, bird and landscape watching, as well as kayaking and canoeing. The degree of convenience of relief for the mentioned types of recreation was determined based on its physical convenience, aesthetic value and accessibility. In the evaluation process, the method of relative relief evaluation was used. The conducted evaluation revealed the valuable and potentially valuable parts of the relief, but also the limiting elements of the landscape, which are the reason why certain parts have not been sufficiently valorized for tourism. This especially applies to the eastern and southeastern parts of the Park, with a pronounced problem of physical convenience and (in)accessibility (distance and the absence or the lack of maintenance of footpaths, difficult navigation and inaccessibility of the coast overgrown with vegetation).