Protected areas of Croatia
Encyclopedia
The main protected areas of Croatia are national park
s, nature parks and strict reserves. There are 444 protected areas of Croatia
, encompassing 9% of the country. Those include 8 national parks in Croatia, 2 strict reserves and 10 nature park
s. The most famous protected area and the oldest national park
in Croatia is the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
. Velebit Nature Park is a part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The strict and special reserves, as well as the national and nature parks, are managed and protected by the central government, while other protected areas are managed by counties. In 2005, the National Ecological Network was set up, as the first step in preparation of the EU accession and joining of the Natura 2000
network.
The total area of all national parks in the country is 994 km² (384 sq mi), of which 235 km² (91 sq mi) is sea surface.
Each of the national parks is maintained by a separate institution, overseen and funded by the government ministry of nature conservation and spatial development. The State Institute for Nature Protection provides centralized oversight and expertise.
area.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, nature parks and strict reserves. There are 444 protected areas of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, encompassing 9% of the country. Those include 8 national parks in Croatia, 2 strict reserves and 10 nature park
Nature park
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic purposes....
s. The most famous protected area and the oldest national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Croatia is the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites in Croatia
-World Heritage Sites:-Tentative List:The following sites are on the Tentative List for Croatia, meaning that the government intends to consider them for nomination in the future:*Zadar - Episcopal complex...
. Velebit Nature Park is a part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The strict and special reserves, as well as the national and nature parks, are managed and protected by the central government, while other protected areas are managed by counties. In 2005, the National Ecological Network was set up, as the first step in preparation of the EU accession and joining of the Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
network.
The total area of all national parks in the country is 994 km² (384 sq mi), of which 235 km² (91 sq mi) is sea surface.
Each of the national parks is maintained by a separate institution, overseen and funded by the government ministry of nature conservation and spatial development. The State Institute for Nature Protection provides centralized oversight and expertise.
National parks
All eight national parks are located in karstKARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
area.
| # | Name | Image | Area | Website | Established in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plitvice Lakes Plitvice Lakes Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina... |
296.9 km² (114.6 sq mi) | http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr | 1949 | |
| 2 | Paklenica Paklenica The Paklenica karst river canyon is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Starigrad, northern Dalmatia, at the southern slopes of Velebit mountain, not far from Zadar. It has two canyons: Mala and Velika Paklenica. Today there is no water flowing throughout Mala Paklenica... |
95 km² (36.7 sq mi) | http://www.paklenica.hr | 1949 | |
| 3 | Risnjak Risnjak National Park Risnjak National Park is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Gorski kotar, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country, about 15 km inland from the Adriatic Sea. The park covers an area of 63.5 square kilometers including the central part of Risnjak and Snježnik... |
.jpg) |
63.5 km² (24.5 sq mi) | http://risnjak.hr | 1953 |
| 4 | Mljet |  |
5.4 km² (2.1 sq mi) | http://www.np-mljet.hr | 1960 |
| 5 | Kornati Kornati The Kornati archipelago in Croatia is located in the northern part of Dalmatia, west from Šibenik, in the Šibenik-Knin county. With 35 km in length and 140 islands, some large, some small, in a sea area of about 320 km², Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea... |
49.7 km² (19.2 sq mi) | http://www.np-kornati.htnet.hr | 1964 | |
| 6 | Brijuni Brijuni The Brijuni or the Brijuni Islands are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea, separated from the west coast of the Istrian peninsula by the narrow Fažana Strait... |
33.9 km² (13.1 sq mi) | http://www.brijuni.hr | 1983 | |
| 7 | Krka Krka National Park Krka National Park is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka that it encloses. It is located along the middle-lower course of the Krka River in central Dalmatia, in Šibenik-Knin county, downstream Miljevci area, and just a few kilometers northeast of the city of Šibenik... |
 |
109 km² (42.1 sq mi) | http://www.npkrka.hr | 1985 |
| 8 | Sjeverni Velebit |  |
109 km² (42.1 sq mi) | http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr | 1999 |
Nature parks
| # | Name | Image | Established in | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kopački rit Kopacki Rit Kopački Rit , is a nature park in eastern Croatia. It is located northwest of the confluence of the Drava and the Danube, situated at the border with Serbia. It comprises many backwaters and ponds along the Danube... |
 |
1967 | http://www.kopacki-rit.com/ |
| 2. | Papuk Papuk Papuk is the largest mountain in the Slavonia region in eastern Croatia, near the city of Požega. It extends between Bilogora to the northwest, Krndija to the east, and Ravna gora and Psunj to the southwest.... |
 |
1999 | http://www.pp-papuk.hr |
| 3. | Lonjsko polje Lonjsko Polje Lonjsko Polje is the largest protected wetland in both Croatia and the entire Danube basin. It covers an area of , extending along the river Sava from the areas east of Sisak, the lower course of the river Lonja for which it is named, to the areas west of Nova Gradiška, along the course of the... |
1990 | http://www.pp-lonjsko-polje.hr/ | |
| 4. | Medvednica Medvednica Medvednica is a mountain in central Croatia, just north of Zagreb and marking the southern border of the historic region of Zagorje. The highest peak, at 1,035 m, is Sljeme. Most of the area of Medvednica is a nature park , a type of preservation lesser than a national park... |
 |
1981 | http://www.pp-medvednica.hr |
| 5. | Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje Žumberak/Gorjanci Žumberak or Gorjanci is a range of mountains or hills between Croatia and Slovenia. The highest peak is Sveta Gera on the border between Croatia and Slovenia, being tall.... |
 |
1999 | http://www.sutla-zumberak.hr/hr/klaster/samouprava/zumberak/ |
| 6. | Učka Ucka The Učka is a mountain range that rises behind Opatija riviera, on the Istrian peninsula, in northwestern Croatia. It forms a single morphological unit together with the Čičarija range which streches from the bay of Trieste to Rijeka... |
1999 | http://www.pp-ucka.hr/ | |
| 7. | Velebit Velebit Velebit is the largest though not the highest mountain range in Croatia. Its highest peak is the Vaganski vrh at 1757 m.The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior... |
 |
1981 | http://www.pp-velebit.hr/ |
| 8. | Vrana lake | 1999 | http://vransko-jezero.hr/cms/ | |
| 9. | Telašćica Telašćica Telašćica is a bay that is situated in the southeastern portion of the island of Dugi Otok, Croatia in the Adriatic Sea. It is a designated nature park, full of wildlife and sea creatures.-Geography:... |
 |
1988 | http://www.telascica.hr/ |
| 10. | Biokovo Biokovo Biokovo is the second-highest mountain range in Croatia, located along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, between the rivers of Cetina and Neretva... |
 |
1981 | http://www.biokovo.com/ |
| 11. | Lastovsko otočje Lastovo Lastovo is an island municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 93% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . The biggest island in the municipality is also named Lastovo, as is the... |
 |
2006 | http://pp-lastovo.hr/ |
Strict reserves
- Bijele and Samarske stijene
- Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi
See also
- Register of Protected Natural Values of the Republic of Croatia
- Natural and Cultural Heritage of CroatiaNatural and Cultural Heritage of CroatiaThe Natural and Cultural Heritage of Croatia comprises sites, monuments, goods and species of particular importance to the Republic of Croatia which are protected by national law...