Acta geographica Slovenica, 55-2, 2015, 271-281 opportunities for developing mountain biking in the municipality of bohinj možnosti razvoja gorskega kolesarstva v občini bohinj Katarina Polajnar Horvat, Urška Drofenik The Bohinj municipality has great potential for the development of mountain biking. Občina Bohinj ima veliko možnosti za razvoj gorskega kolesarstva. Katarina Polajnar Horvat, Urška Drofenik, Opportunities for developing mountain biking in the Municipality of Bohinj Opportunities for developing mountain biking in the Municipality of Bohinj DOI: http://dx.doi.org/AGS.1884 UDC: 913:796.6(497.4BOHINJ) COBISS: 1.01 ABSTRACT: Due to the relatively short travel distances between places, a wide variety of natural and cultural sites in the area, the well-preserved environment, and a large number of forest roads, skid trails, field trails, and hiking trails through the mountains, the Municipality of Bohinj, much of which lies in Slovenia's largest protected area, Triglav National Park, has great potential for the development of mountain biking. In order to outline the guidelines for effective environmental protection and provide a basis for harmonizing the needs of various users, this article evaluates the prudence of and the need for establishing an appropriate mountain biking management system in the Bohinj Valley, one of the most popular tourism areas in Upper Carniola. A tentative system of trails suitable for this leisure activity is proposed based on an overview of the relevant literature, a survey, and cooperation with various individuals involved with mountain biking. It would also make sense to include these trails in the municipal development plan. KEYWORDS: regional geography, Municipality of Bohinj, mountain biking, recreation, regional development, Slovenia The article was submitted for publication on July 1st, 2013. ADDRESS: Katarina Polajnar Horvat, Ph.D. Anton Melik geographical institute Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Gosposka ulica 13, SI - 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia E-mail: katarina.polajnar@zrc-sazu.si Urška Drofenik Mokrška ulica 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia E-mail: ursa@ursha.si 318 Acta geographica Slovenica, 55-2, 2015 1 Introduction 1.1 Presentation of the issue in the study area The Municipality of Bohinj has always attracted a large number of visitors. It is one of the most important Slovenian mountain tourism areas, much of which (66%) lies in Slovenia's largest protected area, Triglav National Park (TNP) (Internet 1). Initially, this area was primarily the domain of loggers, ore prospectors, and charcoal burners, and its peaks were first climbed by shepherds and hunters (Glavniketal. 2011). Later on, Slovenia's alpine areas were discovered by naturalists (primarily for reasons of nature conservation) and others attracted to the mountains due to national-awakening, cultural, or aesthetic impulses (Rejec Brancelj and Smrekar 2000). Today people visit this area for tourism, entertainment, and recreational reasons, as well as for more strenuous mountain hiking and other reasons (Rejec Brancelj and Smrekar 2000; Glavnik etal. 2011). With improved trails and mountain lodges, an increasing number of people started hiking in the mountains. Initially, this activity was limited to Sundays and areas near towns, with train stations serving as starting points. Important changes occurred in parallel with the development of motor traffic. As the number of cars increased and the quality of the road network gradually improved, recreational mobility increased significantly. People began engaging in recreational activities in more remote places. In addition, due to improved living standards, the rapid shift from farming to non-farming activities, the subsequent division of life into work and free time, and gradual urbanization, new types of leisure activities were established (Jeršič 1998; Rejec Brancelj and Smrekar 2000). Traditional sports and recreation activities were joined by new, alternative activities, including mountain biking as an increasingly popular sport (Šolar 1994). Mountain biking began developing in the 1970s and is a modern form of recreation on natural trails (Internet 2). It is a sustainable sports, recreational, and tourism activity (Obu and Zajc 2012) that has become increasingly popular in recent years in the Bohinj Valley (Občina Bohinj 2014). Recreation affects both living nature and the landscape, or non-living nature (Komac, Zorn and Erhartič 2011). The impact of mountain biking on the natural environment is comparable to other types of outdoor recreation, such as hiking in the mountains (Wilson and Seney 1994; Bjorkman 1996; Goeft Figure 1: Mountain bikers use trails at random due to the small number of official and legal mountain-bike trails available. 129 Katarina Polajnar Horvat, Urška Drofenik, Opportunities for developing mountain biking in the Municipality of Bohinj and Adler 2001; White etal. 2006). Properly done, the consequences of biking on well-maintained trails are small; nonetheless the environment in Bohinj is becoming overburdened, especially due to large-scale mountain biking and hiking (Drofenik 2012). Due to attractive natural settings and the development of bike technology, mountain bikers also use mountain trails (Rovan 2011a), which causes conflicts with hikers, who feel threatened because they are the ones that build, manage, and use the trails (Drofenik 2012). In 2007, the Slovenian Alpine Association founded the Bicycle Touring Committee (Internet 2), which recognizes mountain biking as an equal outdoor activity that should be accepted and systematically regulated. This activity lacks the necessary systemic regulation, especially from the viewpoint of individual non-harmonized and contradictory laws and regulations. The Nature Conservation Act (Zakon o spremembah .2014) generally allows biking on established trails in the natural environment, but only if the owner or manager agrees with this (Internet 3). An established trail is a strip of land that is used for walking or driving and is maintained. However, the Farmland Act (Zakon o kmetijskih zemljiščih 2012) prohibits biking on routes through fields and only allows these routes to be used for farming. In addition, in line with the Forest Act (Zakon o spremembah .2013), biking is only possible on marked skid trails and other trails, but only in areas specified in the spatial planning part of regional development plans. In line with the Mountain Trail Act (Zakon o planinskih poteh 2007) and the criteria for the dual use of mountain trails, biking is only allowed on routes through fields and main forest roads provided that it is not prohibited by nature conservation, forestry, or hunting regulations, and on other mountain trails only if they are explicitly intended for dual use. Because the study area is largely located in TNP, restrictions specified in the Triglav National Park Act (Zakon o Triglavskem narodnem parku 2010) also have to be taken into account. This act allows biking on forest, field, mountain, and other trails and forest roads that are not categorized as public roads, but only on those that are specified in the Triglav National Park Management Plan (Načrt upravljanja. 2012). However, to date this plan has failed to define such trails. Hence in practice outdoor biking within the major part of the study area remains prohibited despite recent legal changes that took a step towards solving this issue. Due to the small number of official mountain bike trails, bike riders use the trails at random and can be found even in the most vulnerable natural areas and in areas that are inappropriate in terms of nature conservation and sustainable development, as well as the safety of all users. In countries neighboring Slovenia, this activity is regulated by law and in practice. In Italy, driving in the natural environment is permitted everywhere, except in areas where expressly prohibited. There are only a few areas where driving is forbidden, mostly in protected zones. Prohibited areas are clearly marked, surveillance is effective, and the fines are substantial. Wider roads are largely open to everyone, and in some places biking is allowed if escorted by a guide. Off-road biking and biking on extremely steep hiking trails is prohibited (Rovan 2011b). In Germany, bikers cannot ride on the most popular trails and on specific trails within protected areas, and in some federal states biking is not allowed on trails that are less than two meters wide. Biking on private trails is allowed if they are wide enough and maintained. Riding bikes on inappropriate trails and off-road is forbidden and fined. The authorities can restrict or prohibit biking on natural trails in a specific area that are otherwise appropriate if this is incompatible with the interests of another type of recreation or if threatens the natural balance. If an area has an above-average number of mountain bikers, this can be solved through guided tours (Drofenik 2012). In Austria, mountain biking is prohibited on all mountain trails, except on those specified and marked separately. The law only allows biking on forest trails and through the forest with the permission of the owner of the forest and trails. The Hunting Act prohibits access to and riding in areas with protected animal species. In agreement with the forest owners, a third of all hiking trails in Tyrol were made available for biking and marked in a uniform way (Drofenik 2012). Surveillance over the activity is effective and fines are heavy. Trails that are overburdened by hikers or mountain bikers may be temporarily closed (Rovan 2008). 1.2 Research design and methods In order to protect the environment and effectively harmonize the needs of various users, the need to establish a mountain biking management system in the Municipality of Bohinj was evaluated. The mountain biking infrastructure is limited there because biking in the natural environment is prohibited in most of the municipality. Despite this, bike riders continue to use this area. An online survey (Anketa .2012) was 318 Acta geographica Slovenica, 55-2, 2015 conducted with 504 active mountain bikers to collect as much information as possible about where and when they bike, which trails they usually use, what they experience on these trails, and what their habits and preferences are regarding mountain biking. The most popular areas were established based on a literature overview, research, and interviews. The issues associated with these areas are presented below. It is presumed that mountain bikers in the Bohinj area use trails that are vulnerable from the environmental protection viewpoint and that they often find themselves in conflict with other users. Based on the methodology developed specifically for this study and used for evaluating selected very frequently used trails, it explored which area with mountain bike trails that mountain bikers find attractive is also suitable from the environmental protection perspective and appropriately located from the viewpoint of other users. A quantitative assessment of areas' suitability for developing mountain bike trails was produced by analyzing the areas' vulnerability, frequency of use, and appeal. Vulnerability was determined based on the degree of environment protection within the municipality. The criteria used include the trails' location within or outside TNP and location within individual TNP Protection Zones (Javni zavod... 2013). Frequency of use was determined based on the survey (Anketa .2012), in which respondents listed the trails they most often use. Based on these data, the frequency of use on the trails was established. The appeal of individual trail areas was determined based on four criteria that were specified using the respondents' replies regarding their mountain biking preferences. These criteria included the following: • Distance from motorized traffic; • Circular routes and opportunity to cross over into the neighboring valley; • Scenic views; • Natural assets along the trails. The maximum score was 100. A higher score shows that the area is more suitable for the type of leisure activity. Table 1: Quantitative assessment of the area's suitability for mountain biking Suitability assessment criteria Score 1 Vulnerability in terms of environmental protection 1.1 Trails located within TNP Protection Zone 1 0 1.2 Trails located within TNP Protection Zone 2 10 1.3 Trails located within TNP Protection Zone 3 20 1.4 Trails located outside TNP 40 2 Frequency of use 2.1 Trails used very heavily 0 2.2 Trails used moderately heavily 10 2.3 Trails used less heavily 2.4 Trails not heavily used 20 30 3 Appeal to mountain bikers 3.1 High appeal 30 3.2 Medium appeal 20 3.4 No appeal 10 0 2 Characteristics of mountain biking in the Municipality of Bohinj Mountain bikers use a relatively narrow range of trails, which is surprising considering the large number of forest and field trails, skid trails, and bridle paths crisscrossing the area. The trails were grouped into the following areas: Vogar Pastures, Mount Vogel, Mount Komna, Mount Uskovnica, and Eastern Lower Bohinj Mountains. The needs and preferences of active mountain bikers were examined in order to prepare guidelines for setting up an effective mountain biking management system in the Municipality of Bohinj. Respondents 131 UJ ■SP&DNIE gorje L, Do]iujka •'■ ffi-i J : 'BLED IOMENJ Bohinjsko jezero RIBČEV ¿¡K UMN