Natural resources for the nature-based tourism development of the Vojvodina Province

The area of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has significant natural potentials for the development of nature-based tourism. The paper analyzes the data found in various articles as well as data obtained hands-on. Selected factors such as location, relief, climate, hydrography, flora and fauna and protected areas of Vojvodina were analyzed. The degree of presence of the mentioned factors for the development of nature-based tourism was determined with selected indicators. The medium and high level of the presence of factors indicates the possibility of developing ecotourism, scientific tourism, hunting, fishing, sports and recreation, bird watching, nautical, trips and other forms of tourism based on natural resources. Quantitative, comparative and data presentation methods were used in the research. The results of research can aid further research of nature-based tourism.


Introduction
The paper focuses on the protected areas of Vojvodina and natural resources that are important for the development of nature-based tourism. The area of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is characterized by diverse natural resources for the development of various forms of tourism. The tourism form that protects and promotes natural values is nature-based tourism (Kostić et al., 2019). Nature-based tourism often refers to protected natural areas. The territory of Vojvodina covers 135 natural sites, the total area of which is 141,044.65 ha (Delić et al., 2017). This makes 6.56% of the total area of Vojvodina. The relatively small amount of protected areas can be a starting point for the development of nature-based tourism. Nature-based tourism development would also condition the growth of protected areas (Job et al., 2017).
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has significant potentials for all forms of naturebased tourism development. Diverse relief features, favorable climate, many hydrographic, diverse and rare flora and fauna, and protected natural areas are all different significant natural potentials for the tourism development (Maksin et al., 2018). Natural-geographical features mostly form the complete life of a certain area. These conditions decide the role of each species in the systemic symbiosis where the human role is important. All human activities are closely related to the basic characteristics of the area in which the movement of tourists is realized. Changing certain elements of the environment directly affects the behavior and characteristics of species and the complete nature (Batman & Demirel, 2016). Therefore, the geographical place of a certain area, relief and soil composition, climate, hydrography and biogeography, are the basic preconditions for the formation of the main features of Vojvodina, and can have a positive impact on the nature-based tourism development.
The area of Vojvodina has different ecosystems inhabited by many species. The protection of areas from external impact and user pressures can be realized through nature-based tourism. The development of tourism must take into account all the natural and geographical characteristics of the area in which it develops.
The goal of this paper is to research and analyze the natural resource base of protected areas of Vojvodina. That includes data found in various articles as well as data obtained hands-on such as location, relief, climate, hydrography, flora and fauna. The presence of certain natural factors will determine the selected indicators (Maksin et al., 2011).
The contribution to scientific research is reflected in the use of the results obtained in this research in the development of a strategy for nature-based tourism in Vojvodina. The paper centers on the natural factors of AP Vojvodina, which can have high importance for the development of nature-based tourism and sustainable tourism development.
The method of this paper includes the quantitative research method. The paper research method analyzes various written data about selected indicators of sustainability in protected natural areas of Vojvodina. After the analysis, with the comparative method, the most important factors that positively impact the development of tourism can be singled out.

Background
A feature of 21st-century tourism is the protection and improvement of nature (Bello et al., 2016). Tourists are increasingly choosing sustainable tourist destinations (Wardle et al., 2018). The reason is the wish of tourists for natural values to remain in the future. Naturebased tourism is a form of tourism that uses natural values (Eagles, 2014). Those are ecotourism, scientific-tourism, bird and animal watching, adventure tourism, sports tourism, trips, etc. (Štetić & Trišić, 2018).
Vojvodina completely belongs to the Pannonian biogeographical region and represents a secondary forest-steppe area. Forests and wooded areas cover 6.8% of the territory. Natural specifics such as favorable climate, relief, flora and fauna, the richness of water resources, and protected areas, place this region in the highly promising areas for the development of nature-based tourism (Trišić et  There are preserved natural and landscape areas, unique to this part of Europe, such as Deliblato Sands, Fruška Gora, and Vršac Mountains. The floodplains of the Danube, Sava, Tisa, Begej, Tamiš, Karaš, Nera, and Bosut River have been preserved on the lowest terrains, which represent a kind of oasis of flora and fauna, and most of them are in protection regimes precisely because of biological diversity (Noakes & Bouvier, 2013). There are also large steppe areas in central and northern Banat, as well as loess-soil complexes along the Tisa and Danube River. Special mention should be made of the preserved salt marshes of Banat and the unique and specific habitats of salt lakes, which have priority in protection at the international and national levels. In AP Vojvodina, there is a significant network of protected areas, i.e. important centers of autochthonous biological diversity.
Due to this richness of different habitat types, the area of Vojvodina is characterized by a rich and specific species and ecosystem diversity. The characteristic of flora and fauna are the existence of endemic and endangered species. This is a basic condition for the development of nature-based tourism. This form of tourism aims to improve the value of the area (Buclet & Lazarević, 2015).
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is situated in a very favorable geographical and tourism setting, which is reflected in the vicinity of neighboring countries and cities, a favorable hydrographic connection with many countries via the Danube, Sava, and Tisa as the most important rivers in Vojvodina (Lazić et al., 2008). This is another important condition for the development of nature-based tourism (Torres-Delgado & Saarinen, 2014).
The development of nature-based tourism in AP Vojvodina can provide great economic benefits, both for the tourism destination and for the economy of AP Vojvodina. Economic revenues have a significant impact on the country's financial system (Leković, 2019).

Study area
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is situated in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain, in Northern Serbia. It covers an area of 21,506 km 2 , it is 24.3% of the total territory of the Republic of Serbia (including Kosovo). The area of the Province is located between 44 о 38' and 46 о 10' N, and from 18 о 10' to 21  The climate of Vojvodina is moderately continental with certain specifics. The average annual temperature is about 11 °C. Summer temperatures are between 21° C and 23° C and winter around -2° C. However, temperatures can be extreme to the extent that that the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures amounts to over 70° C. The average annual amount of precipitation in Vojvodina ranges from 550 to 600 mm/m 2 , where extremely rainy periods at the beginning of summer (June) and periods without or with a small amount of precipitation (October and March) can be distinguished (Malinović-Milićević et al., 2018).
The river networks of AP Vojvodina consist of three large rivers: the Danube, Sava, and Tisa, with all their tributaries and canals. The Danube, which flows through Serbia with a length of 588 kilometers and through Vojvodina with a length of 358 km, is navigable along the whole length (Štetić et al., 2014). Also, important are the Danube tributaries the Tisa (168 km), the Sava (206 km) and the Begej (75 km), between which a branched network of irrigation, drainage and transport canals were dug, with a total length of 939 km, of which 673 km are navigable. All rivers are characterized by a small fall, slow and winding course, high accumulative power and a tendency to create marshes and meanders, which gives great convenience for the formation of wetlands important for the flora and fauna (Tomić et al., 2004). The hydrographic network also includes lakes, the most important of which are Palić Lake near Subotica (5,8 km 2 ), Ludaš Lake, and other lakes in Fruška Gora and Bačka. Wetlands are protected by special protection regimes, to preserve the unique habitats (Mitsch et al., 2015). Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems that produce wilder species and primary plants, both in number and diversity, more than any other habitat on Earth (Holden, 2016).
Flora and fauna represent a significant natural potential for the development of nature tourism. Species protection forms areas that are suitable for nature-based tourism development. There are over 2,000 species of plants and animals in the province (Stojnić et al., 2015). Biological diversity on the territory of AP Vojvodina and the number of individual species can be shown in Table 1. Many species have the endangered status. In the category of Critically Endangered (CR), 28 species and subspecies were recorded. To this group of taxa some extremely rare species should be added that have recently been recorded only in Vojvodina, such as Elatine hungarica, Cerastium subtetrandrum and Hierochloe repens. In the category of Endangered (EN), 50 species were recorded, and in the category of Vulnerable (VU), 40 species were recorded. Other species (82), due to the lack of data needed to assess the exact endangered category, fall into combined categories. In App. I, strictly protected plant species, 1992 and 1999 rev.    Endemic species M 7.

Results and discussion
Endangered species according to IUCN L 8.
Protected areas M 10.
National area protection status M 11.
International area protection status L 12.
Sufficient number of supporting tourism facilities M 13.
Accommodation service L 14.
Available visitor center M 15.
Marked walking and educational trails M 16.
Developed scientific tourism M 18.
Developed photographing birds and animals M 19.
Developed bird and animal watching M 20.
Hunting tourism M 21.
Sports tourism M 22.
The availability of mountain tourism H 23.
The availability of trips L 25.
Promotion of nature-based tourism L 26.
The role of the local community in management protection L 27.
The availability of ethno-villages or settlements M 28.
The proximity to potential environmental pollutants M 30.
The use of natural resources H 31.
The presence of domestic animals H 32.
The proximity to agricultural land H 33.
Eliminated the problem of wastewater from the settlements M 34.
Tourism development planning The analysis of the assessed indicators concludes that the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has a relief that is characteristic of lowland areas, which has a favorable impact on the climate and the formation of ecosystems in this area. Also, it is concluded that the relief greatly impacts the adoption of protection measures for various spatial units, and therefore the constitution of protected natural areas and sites of Vojvodina, important for the conservation of these valuable biogeographical units. This relief has a positive effect on the development of nature-based tourism (Lazić et al., 2008).
The climate of a certain area, together with its morphology, defines the type of vegetation that can be characteristic and endemic to a place, although people often change it over time. Proper analysis of biogeography is essential for the management of most tourism destinations, which are important for all outdoor activities, including nature-based tourism. Climate has a direct impact on the biogeographical distribution of natural vegetation in the region. The favorable climate of Vojvodina has had a significant impact on the characteristic flora and fauna in this area, in terms of the diversity of organisms, some of which are endemic. The same favorable impact was reflected in the formation of characteristic habitats such as the eolian and wetland, which again represent rare forms of geodiversity, characteristic of the province. This represents a significant basis for the development of nature-based tourism. This form of tourism in Vojvodina can be developed throughout the year.
Many protected natural areas on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina are precisely wetlands with rare plant and animal species, which mutually form a single biogeographical diversity (Stojanović et al., 2018). There are also numerous lakes and ponds of fluvial, eolian and artificial origin. The Vojvodina marshes are a subject of interest in the UNESCO because they form a kind of oasis of the natural world. Wetlands represent significant potential for the development of science tourism, ecotourism, fishing, sports tourism, bird watching, and other forms of nature-based tourism.
In addition to the above, the scientific-educational and recreational significance of the natural base should be emphasized, because these areas are also terrains with attractive motives for tourism (Vujović et al., 2018). All this confirms the interest of various economic and social structures in the use of the space of Vojvodina. Therefore, it is necessary to harmonize all these needs and put them in correlation with the function of nature protection and the development of nature-based tourism.
The flora and fauna represent a significant resource of this area. Protection systems are established with the aim of conserving these values because these areas very often suffer different and high levels of impact from users, due to their attractive attributes. Visits to certain areas are accompanied by intensive construction and the presence of other entities that draw on the resources of the environment. Prohibited hunting and the impact of prohibited agricultural chemicals on the flora and fauna are no less present. Each of these changes in the elements of the environment affects the reduction or destruction of species and thus biodiversity. The protection of flora and fauna is the basis for the development of nature-based tourism. By spending money in these tourist destinations, one directly invests in protection. The economic factor is a factor in all activities and tourism as well (Leković, 2020).

Conclusion
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has a variety of natural resources for the development of nature-based tourism. There are various reliefs, climate, hydrography, flora and fauna and protected natural areas. Tourism of the 21st century is characterized by tourists who are increasingly enjoying nature. Tourism uses natural resources. By examining selected indicators of the development of nature-based tourism, the connection between nature and tourism can be established. Research results of this article indicate that certain natural resources are important for nature-based tourism development (Delić et al., 2017). The high significance "H" has indicators as location, relief, climate, hydrographic objects including wetlands, different species of plants and animals and availability of mountain tourism, fishing. Indicators with a medium "M" result are endemic species, natural area protection status, the sufficient number of supporting tourism facilities, available visitor center, marked walking and educational trails, developed scientific tourism, sports tourism, bird and animal watching, natural photographing and hunting tourism. These research results will be used for the nature-based tourism strategies of protected natural areas of Vojvodina (Lazić et al., 2008). These natural factors are important for tourism development. The factors that are marked as low ("L") are: endangered species according to IUCN, species reintroduction, international area protection status, accommodation service, developed ecotourism, the availability of trips, promotion of nature-based tourism and the role of the local community in management protection (Krstić et al., 2020). These natural factors need to be improved with various strategies of development (Buclet & Lazarević, 2015;Cvijanović et al., 2020).
The relief of Vojvodina enables the development of mountains, trips and sports tourism. The mountains Fruška Gora and Vršac Mountains are important for that. The climate allows the development of nature-based tourism throughout the year. Moderate temperature and precipitation do not have an impact on tourist activities. Flora and fauna represent significant tourist potential. The forms of tourism in which the main motive for travel is flora and fauna are ecotourism, adventure tourism, bird and animal watching, sports tourism, trips and other forms of nature-based tourism. The endangerment of flora and fauna affect the formation of protected natural areas. This impacts the development of scientific tourism. The analysis of the research results leads to the conclusion that the natural resources of protected areas in Vojvodina have an impact on nature-based tourism. Due to the distinct natural potentials, nature-based tourism should be developed. The realization of nature-based tourism can generate significant income. A large part of the income can be invested in the protection of areas, development of tourism infrastructure and all forms of tourism. This is the result of the research in this paper. The limitation of the research is that there are numerous settlements in the area of protected areas. The majority of the population of these settlements use resources of protected natural areas for their own needs and daily activities and it was difficult to separate them from the tourist use.
The research results will be used for future research of sustainable tourism development which is based on natural resources and the improvement of natural values.