Protected areas cover around 5% of the territory of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

. The ''Law on the Protection of the Nature'' defines these categories of protected areas: * Strict nature reserve — Area of unmodified natural features with representative

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s set aside for the preservation of its biodiversity and for scientific research and monitoring. * Special nature reserve — Area of unmodified or slightly modified natural features of great importance due to uniqueness and rarity which includes the habitats of endangered species set aside for the preservation of its unique features, education, limited tourism and for scientific research and monitoring. * National park — Area with large number of diverse ecosystems of national value, with outstanding natural features and/or cultural heritage set aside for the preservation of its natural resources and for educational, scientific and tourist use. *

Natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

— Small unmodified or slightly modified natural feature, object or phenomenon, easily detectable and unique, with unique natural attributes. * Protected habitat — Area which includes

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of one or more wildlife species. * Landscape of outstanding features — Area of remarkable appearance with important natural and cultural value. * Nature park — Area of well-preserved natural values with preserved natural ecosystems and picturesque landscape set aside for the preservation of biodiversity and for educational, tourist, recreational and scientific use.

National parks

There are 5 national parks in Serbia (

IUCN Category II IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

) as of 2007, and one more which is proposed and is in the procedure of receiving the status of the National Park:Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia
''Registry of Protected Natural Resources''
One of those National parks ( Šar Mountain) is located on the territory of

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. Although Kosovo declared independence in 2008, Serbian government does not recognize this, so Šar Mountain is still listed as a Serbian National park by Serbian authorities.

Nature reserves

There are 22

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s ( IUCN category Ia) in Serbia and 6 more which are in the procedure of receiving the status of a Nature reserve. They are grouped into two groups: ''Strict Nature Reserves'' and ''Special Nature Reserves'':

Nature Parks and Landscapes of Outstanding Features

There are 23 Nature parks and Landscapes of Outstanding Features (

IUCN Category Ib The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

) and 8 more which are in the procedure of receiving the status of a Nature park or a Landscape of outstanding features:

Natural monuments

There are currently 64 natural monuments of geological heritage and 225 monuments of botanical heritage (mostly rare trees) in Serbia. Some of the best known monuments of geological heritage are: Resavska cave,

Đavolja Varoš Đavolja varoš ( sr-cyr, Ђавоља варош, lit. "Devil's Town") is a rock formation consisting of about 200 earth pyramids or "towers", located in southern Serbia on the Radan Mountain, in the municipality of Kuršumlija. Geology Đ ...

, Marble cave and

Rugova Canyon Rugova Canyon or Rugova Gorge ( sq, Gryka e Rugovës; sr, Руговска клисура, Rugovska klisura, italic=yes) is a river canyon near Peja in Western Kosovo, in the Accursed Mountains, close to the border with Montenegro. With a lengt ...

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

Ministry of Environmental Protection of SerbiaInstitute for Nature Protection of Serbia Birdwatching in Serbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Protected Natural Resources In Serbia

Protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Protected natural resources