Abandoned mines can pose a major environmental hazard. At the beginning of the 21st century, significant steps were taken all around the world in order to protect these historically valuable complexes, and the mining heritage was recognized as a potential for the development of alternative tourism. This exploration covers mines in the Kopaonik Mountain area. Mining on this mountain began in ancient times. It has developed throughout history, and today only one mine is active. Three abandoned (Gvozdac, Suvo Rudište and Raičeva Gora) and one active mine (Belo Brdo-Zaplanina) are the subject of research. The basic aim of the research is twofold. The estimation of geo-tourist values was performed using the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM), and the ecological status assessment WAS performed according to the standard model based on negative and positive values. Based on the applied methods, it was concluded that mines (geosites) have a high level of natural characteristics, and that differences between geosites are evident in tourist values. The reason for this is insufficient tourist affirmation and the insufficient availability of tourist infrastructure. With the ecological status, positive values were observed on the geosites, which also differ from one (Raičeva Gora) to 15 points (Gvozdac). In the end, the results obtained are of great scientific importance, and their direct application is in the development of the Tourism Development Strategy in the Kopaonik area.
The aim of this study is to determine and highlight the tourism potentials of the Ibar cultural tourism zone monasteries, which is located in the southwest part of Serbia. In the assessment of tourism potential, a quantitative model consisting of two groups of indicators (resource values and state of development) conceived of seven sub-indicators that were ranked and evaluated by respondents in the field, was applied. The results of the study show that the total tourist potential of the Ibar cultural tourism zone is 0.756, which classifies it as an area with high potential. A substantial difference in grading can be noticed by comparing two groups of indicators. The value of the resource is 0.812, and the value of the development state is 0.700. The main value of the study is that for the first time, a model based on quantitative calculations is applied in order to determine the tourist potential of the Ibar cultural tourism zone monasteries. The study also highlights the advantages and disadvantages and contributes to better promotion and development of this area.
Recent climate changes cause significant natural and socio-economic consequences. They represent one of the major environmental problems of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Changes in temperature and precipitation play a significant role in understanding climate change issues. They include numerous extreme climatic events such as heat waves, droughts, forest fires and more. Looking at regional differences in temperature and precipitation regime change, Southern Europe, including the Republic of Serbia, occupies a special place. The Mačva district (3.272 km²) is almost four times as spacious as the Mačva area. The administrative-political division of the Mačva district is comprised of eight municipalities. The paper presents trends of two climate variables: mean annual air temperature and mean annual precipitation in the study area. In methodological sense, the main statistical procedure is the non-parametric Mann-Kendall (MK) test. Data from three available meteorological stations in the Mačva district (1949-2015) were used for the analysis. The presented results of the trends in air temperature indicate that there is a statistically significant positive trend in all-time series. In trends, precipitation amounts a statistically significant positive trend was observed in two time series, while in one there is no trend. The expressed trends, especially in the case of air temperatures, lead to the possibility of drought. Mačva district and Mačva have some agricultural importance in the Republic of Serbia. For these reasons, some adaptation to climate change is needed as arid conditions lead to fluctuations in agricultural yield.
In the paper, the aridity is defined on the basis of four climate indices: De Martonne's index of aridity, Lang's Rain Factor and Gračanin's Rain factor for the vegetation period and hydrothermal coefficient of Seljaninov. While the annual value of the drought index (I DM) shows humid characteristics, the monthly values show the variability of the conditions. The summer months (July and August) are classified as semi-arid months, while the winter months (December-February) are extremely humid. The spatial distribution of the isoarids indicates that the northern part of the basin has the characteristics of a semiarid climate, while the southeastern parts are more humid. The analysis of mean annual values of the drought index indicates in semiarid conditions (1990 and 2000), but also the humid conditions (2005 and 2009). A positive linear trend indicates that there is a tendency towards humid conditions. The significance test confirms the existence of a statistically significant trend. During the vegetation period, semi-arid conditions are present (July-August). April is slightly humid, and October is moderately arid. The Lang's Rain Factor (KFg) characterizes basin climate as semiarid, while the Gračanin rain factor for the vegetation period (KFm) indicates a moisture deficit in the summer months. Hydrothermal coefficient Seljaninova (HTC) indicates a lack of moisture in July and August. Vegetation period is characterized as insufficiently humid. Irrigation is one of the most important measures for solving drought problems, since the yield varies from year to year.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.