The main protected areas of Croatia are national parks, 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 11 nature parks. 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 930 km (359 sq mi), of which 235 km (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 karst area.
# | Name | Image | Area | Website | Established in |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Plitvice Lakes | 296.9 km (114.6 sq mi) | www |
1949 | |
2 | Paklenica | 95.0 km (36.7 sq mi) | np-paklenica |
1949 | |
3 | Risnjak | 63.5 km (24.5 sq mi) | www |
1953 | |
4 | Mljet | 53 km (20 sq mi) | www |
1960 | |
5 | Kornati | 217.0 km (83.8 sq mi) | www www |
1980 | |
6 | Brijuni | 33.9 km (13.1 sq mi) | www |
1983 | |
7 | Krka | 109.0 km (42.1 sq mi) | www |
1985 | |
8 | Sjeverni Velebit | 109.0 km (42.1 sq mi) | www |
1999 |
Nature parks
# | Name | Image | Area | Website | Established in |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kopački Rit | 231.0 km (89.2 sq mi) | pp-kopacki-rit |
1967 | |
2 | Medvednica | 179.4 km (69.3 sq mi) | www |
1981 | |
3 | Velebit | 2,270.0 km (876.5 sq mi) | www |
1981 | |
4 | Biokovo | 193.0 km (74.5 sq mi) | pp-biokovo |
1981 | |
5 | Telašćica | 70.5 km (27.2 sq mi) | pp-telascica |
1988 | |
6 | Lonjsko Polje | 506.5 km (195.6 sq mi) | pp-lonjsko-polje |
1990 | |
7 | Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje | 217 km (84 sq mi) | www |
1999 | |
8 | Učka | 160.0 km (61.8 sq mi) | www |
1999 | |
9 | Papuk | 336.0 km (129.7 sq mi) | www |
1999 | |
10 | Vrana lake | 57.0 km (22.0 sq mi) | www |
1999 | |
11 | Lastovsko otočje | 196.0 km (75.7 sq mi) | pp-lastovo |
2006 | |
12 | Dinara | 630.5 km (243.4 sq mi) | www |
2021 |
Strict reserves
Special reserves
There are 80 special reserves in Croatia:
- 37 forest vegetation reserves
- 22 ornithological reserves
- 9 botanical reserves
- 2 ichthyological reserves
- 2 ichthyological and ornithological reserves
- 2 zoological reserves
- 2 sea reserves
- 1 geological and paleontological reserve
- 1 paleontological reserve
- 1 geographical and botanical reserve
- 1 botanical and zoological reserve
See also
- Register of Protected Natural Values of Croatia
- Natural and Cultural Heritage of Croatia
- List of World Heritage Sites in Croatia
References
- Jasminka Radović; Kristijan Čivić; Ramona Topić, eds. (2006). Biodiversity of Croatia (PDF). State Institute for Nature Protection, Ministry of Culture (Croatia). ISBN 953-7169-20-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- "Osnovni podaci". NP Plitvice Lakes (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- "About the Park". NP Paklenica. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- "General info". risnjak.hr. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
- "About the park". Official website. NP Mljet. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ "History of Kornati NP". www.np-kornati.hr. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
- "Geographic position". NP Brijuni. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- "National Park Krka". npkrka.hr. Archived from the original on 2004-09-23. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- "About the park". NP Sjeverni Velebit. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- "Other protected areas". Nature protection web portal. Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection (Croatia). Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
External links
- Official website (in Croatian, English, German, and Italian)
- Croatia - National parks
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List of national parks of Europe | |
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States with limited recognition |