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Environmental information systems
Croatia, a predominantly mountainous country, encompasses terrestrial and marine areas of over 56,000km². It comprises the Slavonia lowlands in the interior and the coastal Dinaric Alps, along with numerous islands and islets scattered throughout the Adriatic Sea. The country shares borders with 5 neighbouring nations. The highest peak, Dinara, reaches an elevation of 1,831m. Croatia has a population of 3.9 million people, resulting in a population density of 68.4 people per km².
of land
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land area was designated as protected areas, above the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, is below the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 25.9%, above the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In , the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites, indicating their importance in conserving biodiversity and natural habitats. The marine protected areas network in Croatia largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, with a smaller portion covered by areas of national designations.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
The size distribution of the protected areas network in Croatia’s terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². Only about 1% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km2. The marine protected areas network of Croatia mainly consists of protected areas falling into two size categories – less than 1km2 and 1-10km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 18% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 57% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 51.7%. They are followed by fishes, accounting for 11% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 8.5%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that fish have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 23.8%, followed by mammals, with 8.9% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, mammals exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 10.5%, followed by molluscs, reaching 25%. Amphibians have a high percentage of unknown conservation status, reaching 96.7%, followed by reptiles and other invertebrates with 83.3% of species in each group in unknown conservation status. A high share of assessments in Croatia, reported "unknown" as conservation status.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 32.6% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In 39.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is considerably above the EU average of 14.7%. The proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 20.8%, is below the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 25% of the total, followed by grasslands at 21%.
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that sclerophyllous scrub have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following behind are forests, with 72.7% of habitat types in good conservation status and heath and scrub, with 60%. On the other hand, dune habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%, while bogs, mires and fens also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 66.6%.
Croatia is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: forest ecosystems, which cover 51.8% of the country, followed by agroecosystems occupying 39.2% of the land area. While urban areas account for 4.5% and heathlands contribute to 3.4%, Croatia has relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (0.8%) and wetland ecosystems (0.2%).
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 61.8% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 27.1% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 6.7% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes represent 2.05%, and urban areas comprise 2.04%. Wetlands account for 0.6% of the protected areas.