Towards Sustainable Karst-Based Geotourism of the Mount Kalafat in Southeastern Serbia

This paper analyzes the karst landscape of Southeastern Serbia, Mount Kalafat. The evaluation of five representative caves was performed using M-GAM (modified geosite assessment model) and the perspectives and potentials of karst-based geotourism were presented, through speleology, paleoclimate, and archaeology. Moreover, a unique proposal was presented in the form of a karst protection project through the establishment of a karst theme park. Although there are other attractive karst regions in Serbia, Mount Kalafat has been taken as a study area, due to the willingness of the local management structures and authorities to support projects concerning the protection of geoheritage and the development of karst-based geotourism. The results of the research indicate the evident values of the karst geoheritage and geotourism potentials that can become significant indicators for the development of sustainable geotourism and geoconservation in this area. Thus, precise measures and sustainable strategies that could define the geoethical concept of geotourism development have been presented in this paper. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The European Association for Conservation of the Geological Heritage.