The study was conducted by Professor Đuro Huber of the University of Zagreb Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

During the 2014–2021 study period, a total of 11 bears were fitted with GPS collars and monitored.

According to the findings, Plitvice Lakes National Park is used by 25–30 bears at any one time, although all the collared bears also ranged beyond the Park’s boundaries. In this sense, the Park does not have “its own bears”; rather, it is used by bears whose home ranges extend partly into the Park. The average density is nine bears per 100 km², while individual home ranges cover 100–200 km². Bears avoid one another except during the mating season.

Unlike adult male bears, which move mainly at night, family groups, females with cubs and subadult bears are more active during the day.

All the bears examined were in good body condition and good health. One bear family group in the Park included three cubs, compared with the Croatian average of 2.4 cubs per litter.

Objava Research into the abundance, space use and behaviour of bears in Plitvice Lakes National Park (brown bear – Ursus arctos) pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

Systematic surveys of the genetic, physiographic and geographical characteristics of soils throughout the Park were conducted for the purpose of producing the soil map (Fig. 1). The final output is a soil map with an accompanying explanatory study describing the genetic, physiographic and geographical characteristics of the soils. The surveys covered the Park’s entire land area, including marshland, as well as areas along its outer boundary, and included extensive fieldwork, laboratory soil analyses, data processing, a literature review, and preparation of the final soil map and accompanying explanatory study.

Combining grid-based soil mapping with boundary-line mapping, and taking into account the distribution of existing soil-profile data from earlier surveys, data were collected at approximately 1,400 points, of which 1,390 relate to the three-year survey described above (Fig. 2). At 141 points, soil samples were collected from soil pits and boreholes for laboratory analysis. In total, including evaluated soil data from earlier surveys, the key pedogenetic, ectomorphological and physiographic data on soils in Plitvice Lakes National Park are now available for 193 points.

The soil map is available for use in ArcGIS and has been printed at a scale of 1:25,000. The map legend lists 64 mapping units, numbered from 1 to 64. The names of the soil units follow the nomenclature of the Croatian soil classification system and the international World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). Overall, 16 soil types are represented in the Park, comprising 30 subtypes and more than 40 varieties.

The map provides an overview of the spatial relationships between soils at the level of soil mapping units. The most widespread soil type in Plitvice Lakes National Park is calcocambisol (brown soil) on limestone and dolomite, accounting for 52.13% of the Park’s pedosphere (Fig. 3), followed by rendzina (22.95%), lessivated soil (12.72%) and black soil on limestone and dolomite (9.89%). All other soil types together account for only 2.32% of the Park’s pedosphere. The study concludes with an assessment and recommendations for soil monitoring in Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Objava Soil map of Plitvice Lakes National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

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).

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.

Objava Establishing permanent monitoring of Natura 2000 target forest habitats in Plitvice Lakes National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

Plant species were mapped using a combination of field surveys based on a one-kilometre square grid in HTRS96/TM – the official coordinate reference system of the Republic of Croatia – and by adding the locations of individual species based on published and otherwise available findings from previous research.

The study inventoried and analysed the presence of 34 strictly protected and 11 endangered vascular plant species in the forest vegetation of Plitvice Lakes National Park.

The research results present a list of the species recorded in 323 grid squares, brief general descriptions of the species, their distribution in Plitvice Lakes National Park, their threat status, and maps showing their distribution by grid square. The results presented in this report are an important step towards the long-term monitoring and protection of the Park’s flora and provide baseline data for planning future activities to conserve the natural values of this unique ecosystem.

Based on an analysis of the project results, active measures were recommended to conserve rare, endangered and strictly protected species in the forests of Plitvice Lakes National Park, together with a proposed species-monitoring methodology and accompanying field form.

Objava Mapping rare, endangered and strictly protected plant species in the forest ecosystems of Plitvice Lakes National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

Wolf home-range size, pack territory size and activity were studied using GPS telemetry to track a total of nine wolves belonging to two neighbouring packs: the Mala Kapela pack and the Plješevica pack. The territories of the two monitored packs encompassed approximately 900 km² and included a substantial area around Plitvice Lakes National Park, extending to Mount Plješevica in the south-east and Mala Kapela in the north-west. Plitvice Lakes National Park is important as a breeding area for wolves and as a winter refuge. Snow tracking showed that a third pack from the Ličko Sredogorje area enters Plitvice Lakes National Park in winter and uses the western part of the Park. The average winter pack size across the three neighbouring packs was 5.6 wolves, while the average wolf density was 0.53 wolves per 100 km².

The wolves were most active at dawn and dusk. The passage of irregular migrants between 2018 and 2020 affected the wolves’ activity at dusk and during the night. This highlights the importance of minimising human disturbance, particularly in the most sensitive areas used by wolves to rear their young. Areas important for wolf reproduction were identified and mapped so that they could be incorporated into the future management of the National Park.

Objava Research into the movements, space use and activity of wolves in the Plitvice Lakes National Park area (grey wolf – Canis lupus) pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

Because no lynx research or monitoring had previously been carried out in Plitvice Lakes National Park, the study was launched to improve the management of this Natura 2000 target species. Its aim was to obtain baseline information on lynx movements, individual home-range size, population density, reproduction, activity and habitat use.

Prior to this study, no lynx from Plitvice Lakes National Park (PLNP) or this part of central Lika had been monitored. The project therefore aimed to extend lynx research to parts of their habitat that had not previously been studied systematically. The new findings have added to the overall body of knowledge about the lynx and will be particularly valuable for managing this strictly protected species in Croatia.

Telemetry, combined with camera traps and snow tracking, was selected as the most effective method of collecting data and gaining insight into lynx ecology. The study involved capturing live lynx, fitting them with GPS collars and monitoring them.

During the study, seven lynx were captured and fitted with GPS collars. Their home ranges averaged 200 km² and overlapped spatially, although the animals did not use the overlapping areas at the same time. Analysis of the camera-trap footage confirmed that nine lynx used the Plitvice Lakes National Park area. They were most active at dawn and dusk.

A substantial proportion of PLNP was found to fall within the highest lynx habitat-suitability classes. Based solely on natural habitat components, the entire Park provides prime lynx habitat, except for areas around settlements, alongside major roads and in the large open fields near Homoljac, Brezovac and Babin Potok.

Objava Research into the movements, space use and activity of lynx in Plitvice Lakes National Park (Eurasian lynx – Lynx lynx) pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

The purpose of the survey was to identify the species and spatial distribution of bryophytes in forest habitats and to develop a Park-wide bryophyte monitoring protocol, with particular emphasis on the Natura 2000 target species. It also aimed to provide recommendations for adapting management practices in order to maintain bryophyte species in a favourable conservation status.

The fieldwork was carried out from 2020 to 2023, focusing on the Natura 2000 target species. These species occur in natural forests or forests managed at low intensity, with a well-preserved microclimate and no exposure to atmospheric pollution. Their presence is therefore an indicator of the naturalness and undisturbed condition of forest habitats. The presence of Buxbaumia viridis indicates the naturalness of forest habitats through its association with deadwood, whereas Dicranum viride indicates naturalness through forest-habitat continuity and the absence of exposure to atmospheric pollutants.

The survey recorded 132 bryophyte species in the Park’s forests: 22 liverworts and 110 mosses. It also showed that the bryophyte flora varies between forest communities. Beech–fir and beech forests are the main centres of diversity, while thermophilous and moist forest communities have lower bryophyte diversity because of their more extreme ecological conditions.

Objava Survey and inventory of bryophytes in forest habitats in Plitvice Lakes National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

The project to produce the Basic Geological Map of Plitvice Lakes National Park at a scale of 1:50 000, together with the Explanatory Notes for the Basic Geological Map of Plitvice Lakes National Park, was carried out from 2021 to 2025 by the Croatian Geological Survey, in cooperation with the staff of Plitvice Lakes National Park. More than 30 experts participated in the preparation of the map and the accompanying explanatory notes.

A geological map is a multidisciplinary scientific and reference work based on systematic geological research across various geological disciplines. For national parks, geological maps primarily enable a higher quality assessment and management, and a more detailed evaluation of existing natural resources, as well as greater visibility of the deep interconnection between geology and other components of the ecosystem.

The national park is located within the Dinaric massif and consists almost entirely of dolomite and limestone. Geological mapping identified a total of 24 lithostratigraphic units, 15 formations, 3 members, and 6 unconformity-bounded Quaternary units, spanning a period from the Late Triassic to the Late Cretaceous (200 to 70 million years ago). A special section dates from the recent geological past, namely the last 10,000 years, during which the tufa barriers and most of the lake system were formed. The map provides valuable insight into the geological structure and development of the area around the Plitvice Lakes National Park. During the four years of field research, which included prospecting, geological profile surveying and geological mapping, numerous representative rock samples containing fossils were collected. The samples were set aside and stored in the geological heritage collection of Plitvice Lakes National Park, further enriching the collection and documenting the geological diversity of the Park. The new map will provide a basis for numerous specialised studies, primarily in the fields of hydrogeology, speleology, geomorphology, and dating of tufa barriers.

Objava New Geological Map of Plitvice Lakes National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

The principal aim of the three-year researches of bark beetle fauna in Plitvice Lakes National Park was to assess the population dynamics and abundance of spruce bark beetles, focusing on Ips typographus and Pityogenes chalcographus. These are the two most significant bark beetle species and, when their populations reach outbreak levels, can trigger spruce forest dieback such as that seen in recent years in the forests of Gorski Kotar and Northern Velebit. Three years of monitoring with pheromone-baited flight-interception traps at 13 representative sites established the pattern of catches, used as an indirect measure of abundance. Catches peaked in 2022 and declined in 2023 for both monitored spruce bark beetle species. In addition to this objective, the study encompassed the entire bark beetle assemblage (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae). A total of 32 species were recorded within the Park’s present-day boundaries, representing an increase of 12 species compared with historical records from the 1950s. Two invasive species that are already widespread in this part of Europe are particularly noteworthy: Xylosandrus germanus and Gnathotrychus materiarius. Conversely, Ernoporicus caucasicus and Xyloterus laeve represent rare and noteworthy records. Among the closely related pinhole borers (Curculionidae, Platypodinae), in addition to the expected and widespread oak pinhole borer (Platypus cylindrus), the presence of a very rare Palaearctic relict, the fir pinhole borer (Treptoplatypus oxyurus), was also confirmed in Plitvice Lakes National Park. Native to the Palaearctic, this pinhole borer is considered a relict species and an indicator of the old-growth character of Europe’s beech–fir and fir forests. Outside Croatia, it is currently known from only a handful of European countries: France (the Pyrenees and Corsica), parts of Spain (the Pyrenees), Greece (the Peloponnese), Italy (Sardinia and the pre-Alpine region) and Slovakia (Badín Primeval Forest). In addition to incidental catches made as part of the spruce bark beetle monitoring programme, a series of additional traps was deployed and repeated researches focusing on xylophagous and saproxylic insect fauna associated with dead wood were conducted, yielding some very interesting results. Only those species that indicate a well-preserved forest habitat – specifically, the old-growth character of the faunistically rich beech–fir forests of Plitvice Lakes National Park – are highlighted here: the longhorn beetle Pogonocherus ovatus, the fir jewel beetle Eurythyrea austriaca, the beetles Synodendron cylindricum and Ceruchus chrysomelinus, and two rare click beetles, Lacon lepidopterus and Lacon querceus. In addition to these species, some of which were recorded in this area for the first time, the presence of rare and valuable deadwood indicator species associated with old-growth conditions was reconfirmed, including Rhysodes sulcatus, Cucujus cinnaberinus, Peltis grossa and Peltis ferruginea.

Objava Research of bark beetle and other xylophagous beetle fauna in Plitvice Lakes National Park 2021–2023 pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".

Visitors and other interested parties can access the weather station’s current readings by downloading the free Pinova Mobile app, selecting the “Log in” option, and entering the username “itztzg” and the password “903147”.

The objectives of this project are multidisciplinary and aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the interactions between climate change, tourism, and nature conservation across three protected areas: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Kopački Rit Nature Park, and the Vis Archipelago Geopark. The first objective is to assess the current state of tourism in these protected areas in order to identify key climate-related threats. Subsequently, the vulnerability of these areas to climate change will be analyzed, with a particular focus on extreme weather conditions, changes in species habitats, and tourism development. Identifying relevant vulnerability indicators will be crucial for monitoring and evaluating the impacts of climate change. By developing tailored vulnerability and resilience indices, the research will contribute to more effective management of climate change impacts on tourism. The ultimate goal is to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the protected areas while maximizing the benefits of tourism for local communities and nature conservation.

Follow the activities related to this project at the link https://iztzg.hr//en/main-projects/scientific-projects/pact-vira/

Objava New Weather Station in the National Park pojavila se prvi puta na Nacionalni park "Plitvička jezera".