УНИВЕРЗИТЕТ У БАЊОЈ ЛУЦИ,
ИНСТИТУТ ЗА ГЕНЕТИЧКЕ РЕСУРСЕ

UNIVERSITY OF BANJA LUKA,
GENETIC RESOURCES INSTITUTE

First Phase of Establishing Arboretum in National Park Kozara

The Coordinator: prof Milan Medarević, PhD

The project supported by the Ministry of Trade and Tourism of the Republic of Srpska

 Implementation Time: 2009-2010

 
Today there are an increasing number of tourists oriented to nature and its conservation. National parks and other protected areas have a vital role in attracting the tourists who want to visit   preserved natural landscapes and experience true nature. National Park Kozara is the area under protection and its task is to protect and preserve natural, cultural and historical heritage. To help visitors learn about the natural values of this area and the necessity of protecting them, especially nowadays when natural resources in the world are endangered, it is necessary to educate the visitors. Furthermore, the education of the visitors is one of the most important tasks of National Park Kozara. The visitors of the protected area are educated directly or indirectly. A means of direct education is the arboretum through which the natural values of the area are presented, actually autochthonous woody species. The cultural and historical values of this area have been presented to the visitors of the park for years while natural values are almost unknown. The result of this is the fact that people are ignorant of the area of the park; of its values, its importance, and they are not aware of its protection and preservation.
 
The arboretum will enable the presentation of the natural values in such a way that the visitors will get to know more about the natural characteristics of the area they are visiting. Above all, the arboretum will have an important role in a long-term preservation of the genetic resources of the Republic of Srpska and it will be an important educative centre for the students of the University. The long-term preservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources make the society realize, among other things, the importance and readiness of well-trained experts with a wide scope of knowledge of research in this field.
 
This kind of arboretum will improve and complete tourist services in the park and it will be interesting not only to pupils and students but also to the age groups that visit this area. The arboretum will be an important site for the Genetic Resources Institute for a permanent conservation of the genetic resources of autochthonous woody species in their natural habitats.