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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  • Our work to create a wildlife corridor in the Velebit Mountains is moving forward with the acquisition of hunting concessions. With five concessions in total, Rewilding Velebit now controls an area of 30,000 hectares where the team is working on a transition from traditional hunting practices to developing a wildlife-based economy. Camera traps have been set in the rewilding area to monitor wildlife presence and behaviour.
  • In 2022, the fifth lynx was released in the Velebit Mountains landscape as part of the European LIFE Lynx project. The releases are reinforcing the small and isolated Dinaric lynx population, reducing the risk of inbreeding with the introduction of new, healthy genes to secure the future of this endangered population.
  • A study to determine the historical presence of large wild mammals was completed, proving the previous existence in the area of ibex and other species of potential interest for reintroduction.
  • A natural grazing pilot has begun on Lika Plains (within Ličko polje Natura 2000 site). An agreement on grazing rights saw Tauros and semi-wild horses being relocated to the area. The total number of big grazers in the area stands at 209 (89 Bosnian mountain horses and konik horses, and 120 Tauros).
  • We have released 65 red deer invidual animals into the Velebit Wildlife Reserve to boost the population in an area where there is a hunting cessatio, to the benefit of both nature and people.
  • A temporary ban on the hunting of roe deer and red deer was approved by Croatian hunting authorities.
  • Two projects have been completed in a partnership with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Forestry. The first provided an expert basis for the designation of Ramino Korito as a special forest reserve, while the second focused on the mapping and protection of brown bear dens in the Velebit Nature Park.
  • On 12 kilometers of roads on Velebit, we have installed road prisms to prevent traffic accidents involving wildlife and to reduce habitat fragmentation.
  • In the Velebit area, we have restored or newly installed over 30 water ponds, wells, and springs to provide wild animals with drinking water during dry periods and under the conditions of climate change.

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.