Tourism and Preservation Policies in Karst Areas: Comparision Betwen the Škocjan Caves (Slovenia) and the Ardèche Gorge (France)

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study of the Ardèche Gorge Natural Reserve (France) and the Škocjan Caves Regional Park (Slovenia). As major tourist attractions, both these areas have progressively structured their economies around tourism, although they have implemented very different development and karst landscape protection policies. In very simplistic terms, management of the Ardèche Gorge can be described as very laxest, whereas development in the Škocjan Caves is much more strictly controlled. When examined from this preservation/development perspective, the differences in the ways the two sites are managed can be traced through a diachronic approach to the history of their tourism development. In fine, this comparative approach illustrates how two processes between tourism and preservation policies structure territories development on karst areas.