Assessment of Geotourism Values and Ecological Status of Mines in Kopaonik Mountain (Serbia)

Abandoned mines can pose a major environmental hazard. At the beginning of the 21st century, significant steps were taken all around the world in order to protect these historically valuable complexes, and the mining heritage was recognized as a potential for the development of alternative tourism. This exploration covers mines in the Kopaonik Mountain area. Mining on this mountain began in ancient times. It has developed throughout history, and today only one mine is active. Three abandoned (Gvozdac, Suvo Rudiste and Raiceva Gora) and one active mine (Belo Brdo-Zaplanina) are the subject of research. The basic aim of the research is twofold. The estimation of geo-tourist values was performed using the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM), and the ecological status assessment WAS performed according to the standard model based on negative and positive values. Based on the applied methods, it was concluded that mines (geosites) have a high level of natural characteristics, and that differences between geosites are evident in tourist values. The reason for this is insufficient tourist affirmation and the insufficient availability of tourist infrastructure. With the ecological status, positive values were observed on the geosites, which also differ from one (Raiceva Gora) to 15 points (Gvozdac). In the end, the results obtained are of great scientific importance, and their direct application is in the development of the Tourism Development Strategy in the Kopaonik area.