Management and Utilisation of Natural Resources in Special Nature Reserves

Abstract

Special nature reserves are particularly regulated land areas designated for protection and utilization of natural resources at their disposal. In this chapter, the authors present a pioneering attempt to analyze management efficiency and utilization effectiveness of natural resources in protected nature reserves in Serbia based on an empirical research. Moreover, the authors explore the regulations that define the protection, management, and conservation of natural values and goods in Serbia, with a purpose of evaluating opportunities for development and implementation of Environmental Accounting (EA). EA is still at an early stage of development, especially from the standpoint of its incorporation into the developed standard models of company accounting. There still exist several unexplored problems to be solved at the level of national accounts, such as the expression of environmental damage, resource consumption, sustainable use of natural capital, evaluating environmental benefits, and free gifts of nature. The chapter is completed with a case study based on an empirical study in the field of environmental management in one protected area in Serbia, Zasavica.