Nature protection and biodiversity - Why care? (Croatia)

Croatia is one of the richest European countries in terms of biodiversity because of its geographical position at the crossroads of several biogeographical regions and its characteristic ecological, climate and geomorphological conditions. These conditions in combination with various local traditions in the use of space, which have developed as a result of economic and historical circumstances, have also contributed to an exceptionally rich diversity of the landscape. Because of their particular value, protected areas (8.54 % of the total territory including the territorial sea) form the backbone of the protection of biological and landscape diversity as a whole and represent the key points of the ecological network [1].