Protected areas cover around 5% of the territory of Serbia. The Law on the Protection of the Nature defines these categories of protected areas:

National parks

There are 5 national parks in Serbia (IUCN Category II) as of 2007, and one more which is proposed and is in the procedure of receiving the status of the National Park: One of those National parks (Šar Mountain) is located on the territory of Kosovo. 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 reserves (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) 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, Marble cave and Rugova Canyon.

Notes and references