Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dunes and, particularly, 'hard bottoms' of peb-
bles and boulders with the highest biodiversity
in
(2002), any new buildings in the 300 m seaside
zone must be approved by the Prime Minister's
cabinet [sic]. The adjacent nearshore of the
'hard-bottom' is protected as a managed marine
reserve with restricted fishing and navigation.
Under such a restrictive management regime,
sustainable tourism incentives are critically impor-
tant. The regional park administration controls
the development of tourism facilities (e.g. stair-
ways leading to the beach, bird observation
hides and nature trails), and provides training
and capacity building to local people. Unfortu-
nately, the inhabitants of Karkl
h
do not enjoy
any tax relief in relation to rural tourism service
provision.
The policy for sustainable tourism develop-
ment in Karkl
h
is in keeping with the policy to
diversify the Lithuanian tourism product follow-
ing membership of the European Union and is
primarily linked to the promotion of specific
local rural tourism services based on local tradi-
tions, e.g. amber fishing in the Baltic Sea as part
of an international 'Amber Trail' and riding
traditional, locally raised Samogitian horses,
which contributes to their preservation as well
as maintaining habitat diversity in the dunes.
The capacity of Karkl
h
as a sustainable rural
and coastal tourism will be enhanced by the
anticipated integration of the seaside regional
park into the Baltic network of sustainable
coastal dune tourism (Povilanskas, 2004).
the
southeast
Baltic
proper
(Olenin
and
Labanauskas, 1995).
Before the changes of the 1990s, Karkl
h
village was part of the heavily militarized
seaside frontier zone of the Soviet Union with
restricted access for tourists and devoid of any
tourist facilities. The Soviet authorities did not
allow local inhabitants to fish in the Baltic Sea
fearing their escape to the West. Hence, every-
one was forced into farming at local
kolkhoz.
(Kolkhoz was a form of farming in the former
Soviet Union that existed along with state farms.
The word is a contraction of 'collective house-
hold', usually translated as 'collective farm'.
Members of kolkhoz were paid a share of the
farm's
product
and
profit
according
to
the
number of workdays.)
After the collapse of the 'Iron Curtain',
Karkl
h
opened to the outer world and became
immediately popular among the inhabitants of
Klaip
h
da, both as a destination for seaside
recreation and as a residential suburb. Such
rapid development of leisure facilities and hous-
ing led to dramatic changes in the village and its
environs, which had been left intact for 50
years. Since the beginning of the 21st century,
active efforts have been undertaken by the sea-
side regional park administration to reverse
negative developments and to promote local
sustainability through facilitation of the provi-
sion of small-scale rural tourism services in
Karkl
h
. During 2002/2003, a comprehensive
public awareness and capacity building cam-
paign was launched by the staff of the seaside
regional park and the Department of Tourism
and Recreation at Klaip
h
da University. This
campaign, however, has not resulted in an
increase in the number of farmsteads providing
rural tourism services in Karkl
h
beyond the
three extant farmsteads. According to the results
of a visitor survey, current demand for tourism
services outstrips supply (Spiriajevas, 2003).
Karkl
h
village is protected as a managed
ethno-cultural reserve within the Pajurio (seaside)
regional park. The management regulations of
this reserve are some of the strictest in Europe
regarding construction and reconstruction, includ-
ing expansion of tourist facilities (Povilanskas and
Urbis, 2004). So, according to the Law of the
Coastal Zone
Discussion
Recent years have seen a significant global shift
in land use and rural employment towards more
emphasis on the non-farm sector (Bouma
et al
.,
1998; Bryden and Bollman, 2000; Lanjouw
and Lanjouw, 2001). The sustainability of
coastal habitats and landscapes depends to
a significant degree on the sustainability of
the patterns of human activities. To date, the
maintenance of wildlife sanctuaries in the
Lithuanian coastal areas has fallen mainly on
the shoulders of the taxpayer, albeit supple-
mented with voluntary donations. Whereas
this may work in affluent societies, if serious
economic difficulties arise such contributions
are the first to suffer. A better guarantee for the
continued existence of these valuable coastal
of
the
Republic
of
Lithuania
