THE NATURE OF DUBROVNIK AND NERETVA
The Public Institution for Management of Protected Natural Areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Region
In the Dubrovnik-Neretva Region there are 40 protected natural areas divided into seven different categories, pursuant to the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette No. 80/13).
The Public Institution manages 34 protected natural areas, while the rest (the Mljet National Park, the Lastovo Archipelago Nature Park, the Lokrum Reserve and the Trsteno Arboretum) are managed by separate public institutions: the Mljet National Park Public Institution (JU NP Mljet – two areas), the Lastovo Archipelago Nature Park Public Institution (JU PP Lastovo Archipelago – two areas), the Lokrum Reserve Public Institution (JU Lokrum Reserve – one area) and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU – one area).
Protected natural areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Region
| Category
|
Name
|
Surface area (ha)
|
Year of protection
|
|
| 1 | National park | Mljet (the west part of the island Mljet), managed by JU NP Mljet | 5,375 | 1960 |
| 2 | Special nature reserve in the sea | Mali Ston Bay | 4,821.4 | 1983 |
| 3 | Special nature reserve | The south-east part of the delta of the River Neretva | 250 | 1970 |
| 4 | Special nature reserve | Swamp area “Pod gredom” near Metković | 587 | 1974 |
| 5 | Special nature reserve | Swamp area “Orepak” near Metković | 100 | 1974 |
| 6 | Special nature reserve | Swamp area “Prud” near Metković | 250 | 1965 |
| 7 | Special nature reserve | Islands of Mrkan, Bobara and Supetar | 37.98 | 1975 |
| 8 | Special nature reserve | Kočje Forest on the island of Korčula | 4.62 | 1962 |
| 9 | Special nature reserve | Cypress forest “Pod Gospu” near Orebić | 46 | 1964 |
| 10 | Special nature reserve | Island of Lokrum, managed by JU Lokrum Reserve | 70.8 | 1948 |
| 11 | Special nature reserve | Forest region “Velika Dolina” in the NP Mljet, managed by JU NP Mljet | 15 | 1965 |
| 12 | Nature park | The Lastovo Archipelago, managed by JU PP Lastovo Archipelago | 19,583 | 2006 |
| 13 | Nature monument | Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) in the region of Klokolina Žrnovo | / | 1952 |
| 14 | Nature monument | Šipun Cave in Cavtat | / | 1963 |
| 15 | Nature monument | Vela spilja (Big cave) near Vela Luka | / | 1966 |
| 16 | Nature monument | Gromačka cave | / | 1986 |
| 17 | Nature monument | Močiljska cave cave near the Pobrežje village | / | 1963 |
| 18 | Nature monument | Rača cave on Lastovo, managed by JU PP Lastovo Archipelago | 0 | 1965 |
| 19 | Important landscape | Saplunara region on the island of Mljet | 58.5 | 1965 |
| 20 | Important landscape | Prapratno cove on Pelješac | 108.3 | 1975 |
| 21 | Important landscape | Rijeka Dubrovačka bay | 350.3 | 1964 |
| 22 | Important landscape | Island of Badija | 97.2 | 1969 |
| 23 | Important landscape | Konavoski Dvori | 526.8 | 1975 |
| 24 | Important landscape | Predolac-Šibenica near Metković | 67 | 1968 |
| 25 | Important landscape | “Vučina” bay with its coastal zone on Pelješac | 146 | 1975 |
| 26 | Important landscape | Modro oko area and the lake by the Desne settlement (the City of Ploče) | 370 | 1974 |
| 27 | Forest park | The Aleppo pine forest (Pinus halepensis Mill.) in Gornje Čelo on the island of Koločep | 15 | 1951 |
| 28 | Forest park | Maquis shrubland in Donje Čelo on the island of Koločep | 5.03 | 1951 |
| 29 | Forest park | Velika and Mala Petka | 42.7 | 1987 |
| 30 | Forest park | A small island of Ošjak near Vela Luka on Korčula | 18.5 | 1954 |
| 31 | Forest park | City park Hober in Korčula | 25 | 1969 |
| 32 | Park architecture monument | Arboretum in Trsteno, managed by HAZU | 26 | 1948 |
| 33 | Park architecture monument | Park Foretić in Korčula | 0.57 | 1949 |
| 34 | Park architecture monument | The oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) in Brsalja area in Dubrovnik | 0.1 | 2007 |
| 35 | Park architecture monument | An individual tree of the Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis Nym.) in the Čara village on Korčula | / | 1948 |
| 36 | Park architecture monument | A group of Mediterranean Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis Nym.) above Orebić | 0.3 | 1960 |
| 37 | Park architecture monument | A line of Mediterranean Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis Nym.) on Korčula | 1.6 | 1948 |
| 38 | Park architecture monument | The oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) in Trsteno 17 | / | 1951 |
| 39 | Park architecture monument | The oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) in Trsteno 18 | / | 1951 |
| 40 | Protected mineral | Stone spheres in the Pojezerje Municipality | / | 2011 |
An overview of the protected natural areas of Dubrovnik-Neretva Region by category
| Categories
|
Number of protected areas
|
Total surface area (ha)
|
| National park | 1 | 5,375 |
| Special nature reserve | 10 | 6,182.8 |
| Nature park | 1 | 19,583 |
| Nature monument | 6 | / |
| Important landscape | 8 | 1,724.1 |
| Forest park | 5 | 106.23 |
| Park architecture monument | 8 | 28.57 |
| Protected mineral | 1 | / |
| Total | 40 | 32,999.7 |