Habitat diversity

Nature Park Kopački Rit is one of the best-preserved large river floodplains in
Europe. It is characterized by exceptional landscape forms and rich biodiversity.
The Nature Park encompasses a total of 231 km2, including a 71 km2 Special
Zoological Reserve. Kopački Rit is a valuable natural heritage site, protected since
1967 and recognized internationally.
Due to the abundance of fauna found in the southern part of the Park in particular,
this area has been declared a Special Zoological Reserve. Moreover, due to the
Park’s extreme importance as a habitat of a large number of birds, in 1986 it was
included in the Important Bird Areas in Europe list. Its international significance was
further confirmed in 1993, when it was included in the List of Wetlands of
International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Kopački Rit is at the heart of a network of protected areas along the river Danube
called DANUBEPARKS. The network was established in 2007 and focuses on
conservation and promotion of natural and cultural heritage in the Danube Region
and is closely connected with the implementation of the EUSDR (EU Strategy for the
Danube Region).
Kopački Rit is also an extremely important part of the Croatian-Hungarian
Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube established by UNESCO in
2012.