This Law provides for all necessary rules, requirements, administrative issues, concrete environmental measures and various other technical and procedural provisions all aimed to regulate the protection and conservation of the nature present on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. Basic provisions of this Law define that: the nature is the overall biodiversity, landscape diversity and geodiversity; the nature and natural areas are representing one of the major interests of the Republic of Croatia and enjoy its special protection and monitoring/research/data collection duties. Main objectives and tasks of this Law are: to offer a solid and concrete legal support for the preservation and/or restore of the biodiversity, landscape diversity and geo-diversity (natural balance and harmonized relations with human activities); to identify and monitor the state of nature; to provide a system of nature protection due to its permanent preservation and management; to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources without significant damage caused by human causes; to contribute to the conservation of the natural soil, safeguarding the quality, quantity and availability of water, the sea, preserving the atmosphere and producing oxygen and reducing climate change; to prevent or mitigate adverse human activities and disturbances in nature (consequences of technological development and related or extraordinary activities). This Law further prescribes the mandatory data collection, data processing (development of indicators of the biological diversity) and participation in drafting and reporting to the European Environmental Agency. The Law is divided into XV Chapters and 250 articles, including offences and related penalties.
Croatia · 2013-06-21