Croatia

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 covered

by protected areas

of marine waters covered

by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Croatia cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of Croatia’s terrestrial territory is designated as protected areas, which is significantly above the EU value of 26.4% with the target of 30% to be reached at the EU level by 2030 as set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy (link to KCBD). The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. Currently at , the protected areas coverage in the marine waters of Bulgaria is below the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Croatia has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and sites recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Total of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Croatia, nearly two-thirds of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites, indicating their importance in conserving biodiversity and natural habitats. Another third of the protected areas hold dual designations, falling under both the Birds and Habitats Directives as well as national laws. Only a small portion ( ) of the protected areas are designated solely under national laws. The marine protected areas network in Croatia largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, with a smaller portion covered by areas where these overlap with 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.

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Croatia cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Croatia under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Croatia 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 Croatia, 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 Croatia, 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 Croatia, 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 Croatia under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Croatia 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 Croatia

Conservation status of habitats

In Croatia 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 Croatia 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 Croatia 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.