UG Fojničani Maglaj built a hiking-cycling trail between three nature parks

Why this project was different from all others

Most associations in ZDK work within one municipality and at one location. UG Fojničani Maglaj stood out - for years it had been working on connecting three different municipalities (Maglaj, Žepče, Zavidovići) into a unique tourist story. This was not a local intervention, this was a regional tourism concept.

Another distinctive feature: most associations seek funds only for infrastructure. UGF, alongside infrastructure, also advocated for legal protection of nature through the ZDK Coalition for Nature Protection, with the aim that Matinski vis be officially protected as a nature park. This would complete the "3 cities, 3 nature parks" concept. UGF was one of the rare organisations actively advocating for new protected nature areas in the canton.

What "3 Cities, 3 Nature Parks" was

The concept connected three natural values into a unique outdoor tourist destination, each with its own character:

• Tajan Nature Monument (Zavidovići, Maglaj) - already protected nature area with specific flora and fauna
• Matinski vis (Žepče, Maglaj) - specific Bosnian serpentinites, a rare geological phenomenon; proposed for official protection
• Mokra Megara Cave (Maglaj) - cave complex for speleological exploration and visit

All three destinations were connected by the Fojnica Hiking-Cycling Trail, enabling active movement between them, not just passive sightseeing. A visitor can, in a single stay, visit three different but interconnected natural sites.

Fojnica Hiking-Cycling Trail - phased construction

UGF built the trail systematically across several phases:

• Phases one and two - successfully completed, basic trail sections done
• Phase three - six months of works, construction of additional sections, procurement of bicycles for recreational users, the Megara research camp, procurement of speleological equipment
• Phase four - renovation of existing trail sections and procurement of additional equipment for improving the tourist offer

The trail was designed by an authorised design company, with approval from JP ŠPD ZDK (forestry economy company) that the trail's construction did not disrupt forest management.

Administratively, under the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of ZDK, a building permit was not required for a trail of this type, only urban planning consent, which simplified the realisation.

EU partnership and the funding network

This was not a project depending only on cantonal funds. Behind UGF stood an impressive network of financiers:

• The EU programme "3CNP - 3 Cities, 3 Nature Parks" - realised in partnership with the Žepče Development Agency. The only tourism project in ZDK supported by European Union funds, according to the application
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) - the German development agency supported the concept
• The Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport - co-financing
• The ZDK Coalition for Nature Protection - partner organisation
• The municipalities of Maglaj, Žepče, and Zavidovići - local partners

With this project UGF did not just seek funds and finish the story, but complementary funds that fit into a larger international concept it had been developing for years.

Sustainability - why this will not disappear

The UGF application stood out for its honest analysis of context: tourism development based on natural resources without simultaneous protection of those resources is not sustainable.

This means they understood that a tourist trail without protected nature around it will not bring visitors back in the long term. That is why in parallel they:

• Built infrastructure - the cycling trail
• Advocated for legal protection of new areas (Matinski vis)
• Researched through speleological camps (Megara)
• Branded the destination through EU projects
• Educated the public about the value of protected areas

The estimated number of users was more than 100,000 persons, primarily residents of the municipalities of Žepče, Maglaj, and Zavidovići, along with tourists and researchers coming from outside.

Contemporary context - after the pandemic

The application explicitly connected the project with a global tourism trend: the coronavirus pandemic shifted consumer preferences towards greener options, closer to nature.

The European Union adopted a sustainable tourism strategy that sets precisely such concepts - outdoor, green, protected areas - as priorities. UGF did not work on "a local project that happens to have support", it worked on a project that was directly in line with EU priorities, which explains why EU funds continuously arrive.

The message of the project

Most organisations from smaller Bosnian settings work on projects that depend on one source of financing. If it does not come, the project fails. UG Fojničani Maglaj was an organisation that built a network from EU programmes, the German GIZ agency, the Federal Ministry, the cantonal Ministry of Economy, three municipalities, and the Coalition for Nature Protection.

The result was a project with a long-term strategy - phase by phase, institution by institution, that advocated for lasting nature protection, not just tourism exploitation, and that already attracted over 100,000 potential users with its concept.

For ZDK as a canton seeking recognisable tourist destinations, "3 Cities, 3 Nature Parks" was the most serious reference it had. And for UG Fojničani Maglaj, this was a way to prove something rare in the region: that a quality tourism project is built patiently, professionally, and through cooperation with multiple institutions simultaneously.