The untamed Adriatic coast

Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

The untamed Adriatic coast

This dramatic mountain chain, right on the Adriatic coast in Croatia, is one of the wildest areas of the whole Mediterranean. A region where wild nature is really coming back, and Rewilding Velebit is here to help.

Velebit is one of the most prominent natural areas in the Mediterranean and situated on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. It hosts two national parks, a biosphere reserve and an array of old-growth forests, deep canyons, ancient open lands and exciting wildlife like Balkan chamois, red deer, brown bear, wolf and lynx.

The area hosts an extraordinary diversity of different habitats, from barren Mediterranean landscapes at sea level, via vast beech forest of central European type, to almost boreal systems and alpine grasslands at higher altitudes.

The tourism infrastructure along the coast is very well developed with hiking trails, smaller overnight cabins, larger dormitories, professional visitor centers and different levels of quality lodging. The dramatic coastal landscapes, characterized by steep cliffs, rugged canyons, cascading waterfalls, and vast uninhabited plains, are a testament to the untamed beauty of the region.


Jeroen Helmer / ARK Nature

Rewilding vision

For each rewilding landscape we developed an inspiring vision that shows our ambition for the next ten years. Together with our local partners we work to make this vision a reality.

  • The Velebit Mountains chain has, together with the most suitable of its surrounding lowlands and marine areas, been established as one of the finest, wildest, largest, best protected and most famous wildlife and wilderness areas in Mediterranean Europe. The area thereby provides new sources of income and pride for the people who live here, as well as for Croatia as a nation. Velebit inspires people in adjacent areas that have similar natural settings, to also approach their problems and opportunities using rewilding as a tool.
  • The unbroken ecological integrity of the Velebit ecosystems has been preserved, as part of the larger Dinaric Arc mountain chain (ranging from Slovenia into Albania). At the same time large areas of it have become much wilder, with a number of core rewilding areas that have no-take regimes, especially along the main ridge of the mountain chain. In the core rewilding areas, natural ecological processes to a great extent, regulate nature, with wildlife in fully natural densities and with the original native species present. Here, people have taken a clear step back, not actively managing the landscape nor its wildlife any more. The core zones are connected through the Velebit Nature Park that ensures the protection status of this unique rewilding area.
  • This new situation has provided examples of new or additional ways to make a living here, based on the wild resources. In combination with sustainable products from the surrounding areas where people still use the landscape in traditional or modern, but sustainable ways, this is a vital part of the future for people here. The negative spiral of land abandonment, rural exodus, loss of biodiversity and fading traditional culture has instead turned into new opportunities, attracting new, young and entrepreneurial people as well as many more visitors, also from far outside the region, and thereby increasing the variety of the total tourism offer of Croatia as well as extending the country's tourism season.
  • The Velebit Mountains chain has, together with the most suitable of its surrounding lowlands and marine areas, been established as one of the finest, wildest, largest, best protected and most famous wildlife and wilderness areas in Mediterranean Europe. The area thereby provides new sources of income and pride for the people who live here, as well as for Croatia as a nation. Velebit inspires people in adjacent areas that have similar natural settings, to also approach their problems and opportunities using rewilding as a tool.
  • The unbroken ecological integrity of the Velebit ecosystems has been preserved, as part of the larger Dinaric Arc mountain chain (ranging from Slovenia into Albania). At the same time large areas of it have become much wilder, with a number of core rewilding areas that have no-take regimes, especially along the main ridge of the mountain chain. In the core rewilding areas, natural ecological processes to a great extent, regulate nature, with wildlife in fully natural densities and with the original native species present. Here, people have taken a clear step back, not actively managing the landscape nor its wildlife any more. The core zones are connected through the Velebit Nature Park that ensures the protection status of this unique rewilding area.
  • This new situation has provided examples of new or additional ways to make a living here, based on the wild resources. In combination with sustainable products from the surrounding areas where people still use the landscape in traditional or modern, but sustainable ways, this is a vital part of the future for people here. The negative spiral of land abandonment, rural exodus, loss of biodiversity and fading traditional culture has instead turned into new opportunities, attracting new, young and entrepreneurial people as well as many more visitors, also from far outside the region, and thereby increasing the variety of the total tourism offer of Croatia as well as extending the country's tourism season.

What are we doing here?

Developing a wildlife corridor

Situated on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, the 145-kilometre long Velebit massif is one of the most biodiverse areas in the Balkans with a range of unique habitats that support species such as the Balkan chamois, red deer, brown bear, wolf, and Eurasian lynx. Supported by a huge growth in coastal tourism over the last 10-15 years, many local inhabitants have moved out of the area towards the coast. As a result, many areas of this beautiful region are now characterised by land abandonment, rural exodus, and fading cultural tradition.

Rewilding Europe is working with local partners to transform these challenges into opportunities. This has seen the acquisition of 30,000 hectares of hunting concessions, situated between two large national parks, together creating a zone of 50,000 hectares. Here rewilding is offering a fresh approach to wildlife management and underpinning the development of a local nature-based economy, creating a wildlife and ecological corridor in the heart of the Velebit mountains.

A new wildlife watching venture saw the construction and opening of five wildlife hides in this reserve. These will benefit the local community through job opportunities and boosted tourism income. They represent the first step in developing the landscape’s vast potential as a sustainable nature tourism destination.

Rewilding forests

In collaboration with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Forestry, the Rewilding Velebit team worked to have the Ramino Korito declared an old-growth beech forest. Ramino Korito is an important ecological hotspot in the growing network of protected forests in the Rewilding Velebit landscape, and its designation will highlight its rarity and biological value. This, in turn, will positively impact the number of visitors and thereby boost the landscape’s nature-based economy.

Open plains grazing

Natural grazing by large herbivores is revitalizing the landscape by creating dynamic, biodiverse mosaic landscapes. On the Lika Plains, a scenic grassland located in the foothills of Velebit Mountains, Rewilding Europe is reintroducing Tauros and semi-wild horses, allowing them to live in social herds without direct human management. Over time, these animals are steadily moving toward self-sufficiency.

The restoration of grazing on the Lika Plains is already transforming the landscape, with the first signs of dynamic mosaic habitats now visible. This resurgence of wild herbivores is not only reshaping the landscape but also playing a vital role in restoring trophic cascades, as carnivores like wolves, bears, and lynx prey upon them.

The Lika Plains showcase the benefits of allowing natural processes to create wild, unmanaged landscapes. As a portion of the site is visible from the highway connecting Zagreb to Croatia’s southern coast, the presence of large herbivores creates a positive synergy between ecological preservation, business opportunities, and tourism interests.

Our main achievements

  • Wilder Nature
  • Nature for People
  • Building Engagement
  • Scaling up rewilding
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  • The initiative to establish a wildlife corridor in the Velebit Mountains is progressing with the acquisition of hunting concessions. With a total of five concessions, Rewilding Velebit now oversees an area of 30,000 hectares, to transition from traditional hunting to a wildlife-based economy. Camera traps have been set up in the rewilding area to monitor wildlife presence and behaviour.
  • In 2022, the fifth lynx was released was released in the Velebit Mountains as part of the European LIFE Lynx project. These releases – 18 altogether - aim to strengthen the small and isolated Dinaric lynx population by introducing new, healthy genes, thereby reducing the risk of inbreeding and ensuring the future of this endangered population.
  • A study was conducted to determine the historical presence of large wild mammals, confirming the earlier existence of ibex and other species of potential interest for reintroduction in the area.
  • A natural grazing pilot program has commenced on Lika Plains (within the Ličko polje Natura 2000 site). An agreement regarding grazing rights has led to the relocation of Taurus and semi-wild horses to this area, with a total of around 200 big grazers present.
  • A total of released 65 red deer invidual animals have been released into the Velebit Wildlife Reserve to enhance the population in a region where hunting has ceased, benefiting both nature and local communities. into the Velebit Wildlife Reserve to boost the population in an area where there is a hunting cessation, to the benefit of both nature and local communities.
  • Temporary bans on hunting roe deer, red deer, and/or chamois have been activated in several rewilding areas on several one-year periods.
  • Two projects have been finalised in collaboration with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Forestry. The first project established an expert framework for designating Ramino Korito old-growth forest as a special forest reserve, while the second focused on mapping and protecting brown bear dens in the Velebit Nature Park.
  • On 17 kilometers of roads on Velebit, we have installed road prisms to prevent traffic accidents involving wildlife and to mitigate habitat fragmentation.
  • In the Velebit area, over 30 water ponds, wells, and springs have been restored or newly installed. They are providing wildlife access to drinking water during dry spells, and they also mitigatie the consequences of climate change.
  • Finalised griffon vulture feeding centre construction – the aim is to expand vultures’ habitat to Velebit, where they once roamed, including nesting.
  • Mapping of old-growth forest first phase finished - VMF now has the most extensive and detailed forest ecosystem spatial database.

Visit the Velebit Mountains

Imagine trekking through Paklenica National Park, the vast Lika Plains and the 2000 square kilometer Velebit Nature Park. While there we’ll explore deep limestone canyons, learn about the reintroduction of Tauros and Konik horses at Lika and hope for chance encounters and trek to mountain vistas that give spectacular views to the nearby islands of the Adriatic Coast.

Learn more

Nino Salkic

Image gallery

Partners

The dedicated entity Rewilding Velebit, registered in Croatia, is the preferential partner for Rewilding Europe. Both organisations signed a partnership agreement, including a long-term strategy, for rewilding the Velebit Mountains.

Rewilding Velebit is cooperating with local partners such as the Faculty of Forestry (University of Zagreb), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Northern Velebit National Park, Nature Park Velebit, and Paklenica National Park.