STRATEGY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CROATIAN ISLANDS

The root of social crisis originates in the goals of human activity and the way in which man transforms the natural capital into his private capital. Consequently, alternative ways of development have been looked for, which need to respect the harmony between nature (environment) and the human community. There are various ecological parties in the society such as state, economic entities, and civil society. They may also have their own ecological policy, but they need to act simultaneously in order to achieve the ecological goals of the society. Everything depends on the ecological awareness of the society. When human activities start to affect the natural resources, sustainability acquires social significance. This is the reason why the concept of sustainable development needs to be interpreted both scientifically and professionally and not in accordance with the current interests of different interest groups. Tourism, the driving force of both the Republic of Croatia and its islands, results in intense pressure on its coastal area during the tourist season. Recent law regulations try to align the economic and ecological policy of the state. Consequently, the Croatian Parliament passed the Island Act in order to encourage sustainable development of its islands through the project conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Initiative and the Smart Islands Declaration. Bearing in mind the abovementioned starting points, the center of this thought is recognition and analysis of the present situation in terms of sustainable development of the Croatian part of the Adriatic and implementation of the Smart Islands Declaration. The findings of this paper, as well as some of the subjective opinions, are dedicated to all the interested parties which may find them helpful when looking at certain encouraging but also warning indicators.