As part of the project “Establishing permanent monitoring of Natura 2000 target forest habitats in Plitvice Lakes National Park”, a standardised system for monitoring the condition of forest habitat types was developed in collaboration with OIKON Ltd – Institute of Applied Ecology.
The purpose of the project is to provide reliable and comparable baseline data on the conservation status of these habitats.
Monitoring was established for eight Natura 2000 target habitat types, encompassing 13 habitat types under the National Habitat Classification:
Representative sites were selected for each habitat type, and permanent transects were established at these sites for future monitoring cycles. The monitoring methodology was specified in the project terms of reference and is based on the national Terrestrial Flora and Habitat Type Monitoring Programmes (Oikon – Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, 2023) and the Guidelines for Developing Species and Habitat Type Monitoring Programmes (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, 2025).
Target habitat type 91K0 – Illyrian beech forests (Aremonio-Fagion)
The research results show that the target forest habitats in Plitvice Lakes National Park are generally in a good state of conservation. All transects and habitat types showed a high prevalence of typical species, an absence of invasive and non-native species and, in most cases, favourable indicators of habitat functionality. In all habitat types, the volume of deadwood falls within the range indicating that natural processes are intact and that the biodiversity of these habitat types is being maintained.
The project has established a sound professional and scientific basis for the long-term monitoring of Natura 2000 forest habitats in the Park. The results provide a baseline for future monitoring cycles. They also enable conservation measures to be planned and implemented effectively in order to maintain the favourable conservation status of forest ecosystems and their biodiversity.
Target habitat type 91R0 – Dinaric dolomite Scots pine forests (Genisto januensis-Pinetum)