jump to the content
Advanced search

State of Conservation (SOC)

Plitvice Lakes National Park (1993)

Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds
International Assistance granted to the property

Requests Approved: 0 (from1992-1992)
Total Amount Ap proved: 30,000USD

1992   Expert mission to Plitvice to assess the damage caused by armed ...   30,000  USD
Missions**

February 1992: IUCN expert mission; September 1992: UNESCO/IUCN mission; September 1993: WHC/IUCN mission

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • War in the region;
  • Destruction of the forests and park facilities;
  • Poaching of bears;
  • Dynamite fishing.
Corrective Measures
Current conservation issues

At its sixteenth session, the Committee was informed of a mission carried out in September 1992. This mission found the natural values of Plitvice National Park largely undisturbed. The mission noted however, considerable damage to buildings and structures, particularly in the area surrounding the park.

Recognizing that the potential for a resurgence of hostilities continued to threaten the integrity of this site, the Committee, at its last session included the Plitvice Lakes National Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger and called upon the Government of Croatia, UNPROFOR and the authorities in the Krajina Region to co-operate to implement the Vance Plan and its successor resolutions to stabilize the political situation in the region.

The Bureau requested the Centre to continue its dialogue with UNPROFOR to explore the possibilities for organizing an international mission and report on the outcome to the seventeenth session of the Committee.

As requested by the Bureau, a mission to the area was carried out by the World Heritage Centre with the cooperation of IUCN from 21 to 24 September 1993. The mission found, the Croatian border closed to civilian traffic, thus, the site is inaccessible without UNPROFOR permission. Meetings were held with officials in Zagreb, KNIN and at Plitvice National Park. Cooperation with the United Nations protection forces (UNPROFOR) was excellent. The state of conservation in the Park remains good. However, the Corko-Uvala virgin forest remains inaccessible. In addition, social tension in the region is high and while one hotel in the Park is now open (Jereza), another outside the Park has been shelled and damaged. The UNPROFOR forces plan to remove the mines on the access road to the Corko-Uvala forest and when this has been done, a further mission (if necessary) should review the conservation situation in this sector of the Park.

 

Conclusion
Decision

  • Adopted

  • Draft Decision

17COMX
Link to the decision

Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)

The Centre informed the Committee that a mission was carried out in September 1993 in cooperation with IUCN to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The report noted the continuing cooperation of the authorities in the region as well as that of the United Nations Protection Forces (UNPROFOR). The report underlined the current situation whereby the natural values of the Park are intact and essentially recovering. There was no evidence of new damage to the Park as a result of the ongoing war in the region. However, social tension had increased and the economic crisis deepened. The mission team was unable to visit the Korkaova Uvala virgin forest because of military mines on the access roads. The Committee took note of the report.

 

No draft Decision

Plitvice Lakes National Park
State Party:
Croatia
Date of Inscription: 1979
Nomination records (Year): 1979
Category: Natural
Criteria: (vii)(viii)(ix)
Danger List: Yes
Exports
Word File
SOC Reports (year)
1994
1993
1992
1991
Threats*
  • Illegal activities
  • War
  • Other Threats:
Documents
WHC.93/CONF.001/03
WHC.93/CONF.002/05
Other Documents:
View inscribed site documents, nomination file, reports, decisions, ...
SOC ID: 1743
Inscription on the Danger List
Year: 1992 -1997
Threats to the Site:

Although the World Heritage values of the Plitvice Lakes National Park have not been adversely impacted by the war which broke out in the region in 1991, the Committee recognized that the potential resurgence of hostilities continued to prevail as a threat to the integrity of this site. Hence the Committee decided to inscribe this site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. 


* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.