Law on Nature Protection.

According to this Law the nature is an important part of environment and is under particular protection by the State. The text consists of 61 articles divided into 5 Parts as follows: General Provisions (1), Protected Parts of Nature (2), Control (3), Penalties (4) and Transitional and Final Provisions (5). The purpose of this Law is to provide for protected parts of nature, to preserve the exploitability of nature's resources maintaining its balance, to safeguard the conditions for its conservation and development, to prescribe planned actions for preventing any form of destruction. Protected parts of nature are the following: national parks, nature parks, integral or special reserves, forest's park, protected landscape, cultural and natural monuments, protected species of flora and fauna (arts. 3-12). The Parliament declares national or nature parks by issuing separate acts and the minister of Nature Protection and Environment declares protected plant and animal species (arts. 13-16). Main duties of management and administration are assigned to the public institutions under the supervision of the Government or the municipality of the city of Zagreb (arts. 17-27). Protected or endangered plants and animals may not be exported or imported from Croatia (art. 35), as well as new plant or animal species cannot be introduced unless the permission of the Ministry is obtained (arts. 34-36). The main duties of supervision are assigned to the Ministry of Nature Protection and Environment.