Klek Hunting Association prepared the construction of a rest facility for hunting ground visitors

Who stood behind the project - an organisation with long-standing tradition

"Klek" is one of the oldest organisations in the region, with long-standing existence and a stable position in the local community. It managed a hunting ground in the wider area of Zavidovići and built its reputation among hunters from BiH and beyond over decades.

But hunting organisations of this time no longer lived only from hunting, they had to think in terms of tourism. And that was exactly what "Klek" was doing. The project in question was not about procuring firearms or equipment, it was about a facility for visitor rest - and that said it all: the organisation recognised that a tourist coming to a hunting ground is looking for more than rifles.

What was specifically planned to be built

The project envisaged the construction of a facility for rest and shorter stays of tourists in the hunting ground itself. The facility would serve diverse target groups:

• Hunters during organised hunting visits
• Nature and wildlife enthusiasts who came for observation visits
• Hikers and mountaineers who passed through the hunting ground
• School groups and pupils on educational visits
• Sportspeople interested in adventure tourism

What did such a facility mean for a visitor? The difference between "we toured the hunting ground and went home" and "we spent half a day at Klek, ate in the facility, observed, rested, and plan to come again". When a facility exists, visitors stay, and when they stay, numbers grow.

Readiness - everything prepared, awaiting a green light

"Klek" had worked on the project systematically and the documentation was at a high stage of readiness:

• Bill of quantities and cost estimate - prepared
• Permits from JP ŠPD ZDK d.o.o. Zavidovići (competent for the forest area) - obtained
• Permits from the City of Zavidovići - obtained
• Activity schedule - ready for execution as soon as funds arrived

In other words, the project was ready for realisation; only funds for execution were missing.

Who would manage the facility after construction

The facility would be managed by the Klek Hunting Association Zavidovići. Employees of the organisation would be responsible for its protection and maintenance:

• No additional budget for personnel - existing structures would be used
• No dependence on municipal or associated services - "Klek" would maintain the space independently
• Guaranteed constant oversight - the facility would not be left alone in the forest, it would have its host

This was sustainability built into the organisational structure, not added as an administrative obligation.

Innovation and context

There were several hunting organisations in ZDK, but few of them actively built tourist infrastructure. "Klek" was one of those that saw the long-term future of the association lying in diversification of its offer:

• hunting remained the core activity
• tourist offer (sports and adventure tourism, wildlife observation, school visits) was becoming an additional but stable base
• the rest facility was the first stone in that transformation

This approach was in line with global trends - hunting organisations in Europe and North America have long been building hybrid models combining hunting with eco-tourism, birdwatching, and photo safaris. "Klek" had set out on that path.

The message of the project

Long-standing existence of an organisation means something. It means the organisation survived changes, wars, transition, new generations of members, and did not lose its reason for existing. The construction of a rest facility for tourists was not a great undertaking, but it was a test - whether institutional support recognises the long-term value of associations actively working on their own modernisation.

"Klek" had applied several times. The documentation stood. What this project preserved was not only infrastructure, it preserved a model of an organisation that did not wait for someone else to take over its location tomorrow, but itself entered the contemporary tourist space with seven decades of experience behind it.