Velebit Mountains, Adriatic coast, Croatia
Ongoing implementation
Landscape level
On the 145-kilometre Velebit massif, partners are shifting from traditional hunting to a wildlife-based economy by creating a 50,000-hectare ecological corridor between two national parks, protecting old-growth forests, restoring open-plains grazing with Tauros and semi-wild horses, and building nature-tourism infrastructure. These actions support large carnivores and herbivores, reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, bolster water availability, and grow local nature-based livelihoods.
Velebit is among the Balkans’ most biodiverse regions, spanning Mediterranean lowlands to alpine grasslands, with species such as brown bear, wolf, lynx, Balkan chamois and red deer. Coastal tourism growth and rural out-migration have left many upland areas abandoned, with fading cultural traditions but rising opportunities for rewilding. Extensive old-growth and primary forests, deep canyons and open plains provide a strong foundation for restoring natural processes and diversifying local incomes.
Partners manage 30,000 ha of former hunting concessions to create a contiguous, 50,000 ha corridor focused on wildlife recovery and nature tourism. Forests are mapped and managed for old-growth values, with a Special Purpose Forest designation advancing. On Lika Plains, herds of Tauros and semi-wild horses re-establish natural grazing mosaics, complemented by red deer reintroductions. Safety and water measures (road prisms; ponds/wells) improve connectivity and climate resilience. Visitor hides, photo safaris and local-product initiatives align livelihoods with conservation.
Rewilding work focused on five hunting concessions totalling nearly 30,000 hectares, located between Northern Velebit and Paklenica National Parks and within the wider Velebit Nature Park. The concessions were positioned to create a larger corridor and management zone, described as 50,000 hectares when combined with adjacent protected areas. The stated management direction was to move away from traditional hunting operations and towards wildlife watching across the landscape. Measures to support this transition included camera trapping to monitor wildlife presence and behaviour, and introducing temporary hunting bans for key species (including roe deer, red deer, and chamois) in several rewilding areas to support population recovery. The project also pursued scaling through cooperation, including an MoU with neighbouring concessions signed in December 2022 to establish best practice on borders, poaching prevention, and wildlife management, and the project states that rewilding efforts now influence 160,000 hectares through cooperation with neighbouring hunting concessions.
The project developed wildlife watching as an economic driver by constructing wildlife hides. The sources describe five newly constructed hides becoming operational in 2023, and elsewhere note that six hides are fully operational, alongside completion of the first mobile wildlife watching hide to enable flexible placement based on wildlife activity and seasonality. A dedicated tourist vehicle was acquired to support tourism activities. Local economic participation was supported through training local guides to lead hiking tours and photo safaris, and by paying local people to clean and maintain the hides. A photo safari on the Lika Plains was launched with local collaborators to allow visitors to observe semi-wild grazers in a natural setting, and educational hiking tours were offered regularly with mountain guides contributing to nature education.
The intervention included releases and reintroductions to strengthen wildlife populations and restore ecological processes. Five lynx were released through the LIFE Lynx initiative to improve genetic health of the endangered Dinaric population, and 65 red deer were reintroduced to support species recovery and natural grazing dynamics. The project also reintroduced large herbivores on the Lika Plains by bringing back Tauros and semi-wild horses, with around 200 animals now grazing and gradually moving toward self-sufficiency. The approach explicitly aimed to restore natural grazing and trophic cascades, with large carnivores such as wolves, bears, and lynx preying on herbivores. To support the return of griffon vultures, a new feeding station was built.
Because surface water is scarce in the porous karst geology of Velebit and drought risk is increasing with climate change, the project established a programme (started in 2017 and ongoing) to restore existing ponds and wells and to construct new ponds. The team reported working on over 30 ponds and wells, with ponds designed using natural materials such as clay and stone, including waterproof clay layers and rock reinforcement where possible. New ponds were placed in remote locations lacking surface water and in natural depressions where water can collect. The intervention also addressed safety risks from deteriorated wells and tanks by building access ramps for wildlife and closing off hazardous tanks where alternative water sources exist; in some cases branches were left to help smaller animals such as amphibians enter and exit. The project also began installing ponds outside the core rewilding landscape, with the first such pond constructed in spring (year not specified) in northern Velebit with a neighbouring concession owner.
Forest interventions focused on identifying and safeguarding primary and old-growth forests and adjusting management to improve resilience and carbon storage. The team mapped and assessed forest ecosystems, resulting in the most detailed forest ecosystem spatial database in the region. Forest management practices are reshaped by extending felling periods and reducing unnecessary cutting to bolster carbon sequestration and storage while improving habitat conditions for wildlife. In collaboration with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Forestry, Ramino Korito Old Growth Forest was declared a Special Purpose Forest, providing specific forestry protection and complementing wildlife restoration efforts because it falls within the hunting concession area.
To improve wildlife safety and connectivity, road prisms were installed along 17 kilometres of roads to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. The project also implemented practical coexistence measures with communities, including installing electric fences around apiaries, orchards, and crops and helping improve existing fencing. In one year described, eight fences were installed, and seminars were held for beekeepers to share practical advice on preventing bear damage and improving acceptance of bears.
The project implemented a broad engagement strategy, including workshops, lectures, fairs, exhibitions, and seminars for diverse stakeholder groups. It ran children’s workshops (“When I Grow Up I Want to be a Wildlife Ranger”), with more than 1,000 children participating, and expanded into secondary schools with lectures and field trips. Outreach included a short documentary (“A New Path for the Velebit Mountains”), a bilingual English-Croatian website as a platform for learning about Rewilding Velebit, and creative materials (illustrated products featuring lynx, bear, wolf, and chamois). The project also reported over 60 volunteers collecting 30 m³ of waste through clean-up actions.
Information not available yet.
