Kopački rit Nature Park

This year's tourist season in Kopački rit Nature Park started with the first sunrays on March 12, 2011. Visitors could enjoy many programs that we offer in the Park together with the beauty of the waking of our flora and fauna.
One of the most attractive programs is bicycle riding where you can rent a bicycle at Kopački rit's Visitor Centre. Prof. dr. sci. Srećko Tomas, the Chairman of Kopački rit's Administrative Council and Biserka Vištica, prof., the director of the Nature Park opened the bicycle season. We kindly invite all visitors to come to Kopački rit and enjoy the beauty of nature. We would also like to remind you that you could participate in our projects called "Adopt a bird" and "Plant a tree and an alley shall arise".

Kopački rit Nature Park is situated in the northeastern part of the Republic of Croatia, i.e. on the wider geographical area of eastern Croatia. Geographically speaking, Kopački rit is the flat part of Baranja, belonging to Osječko-baranja County, mainly lowland situated between the Drava and Danube rivers and the state border with the Republic of Hungary. It stretches from the northern part of the Drava where the mouth of the Drava flows into the Danube and upstream on the left and right banks of the Danube towards the former Kazuk port. The state border towards the Republic of Serbia designated the Nature Park's eastern border.

Kopački rit is a floodplain that developed due to the activities of two large rivers, the Danube and the Drava. Significant flood areas exist in the northern, southern and western surrounding parts of the Nature park that stretch from Batina up north, to Bijelo Brdo down south and Donji Miholjac towards west. The altitudes of Baranja do not exceed 250 m, and the Nature Park is at the lowest altitude starting from only 78 m above sea level (the bottom of Kopačko Lake) to 86 m above sea level. 

Kopački rit has a typical relief structure because of the river's water activity and the floodwaters that flood the area. Rivers create banks and islands called “ade” and armbands called 'dunavac' or 'old Drava' in their live streams. On the other hand, the water in the floodplain deposits sediments in one place but deepens the ground in another, so the whole area obtains a specific undulate appearance. That is how ponds (depressions) and beams (higher grounds) were created and stretch hundreds of meters next to one another. Ponds and beams are narrow and long and have a specific curved appearance from the sky.
This kind of pond and beam layout gives the area a unique appearance. The entire floodplain obtains a delta kind of look and is extremely exceptional because the Danube creates a so-called “inland delta” in its middle stream with the assistance of the Drava. A phenomenon like this is not notable for other European rivers in this form and therewith gives this area a global significance. If ever, Kopački rit shall be enrolled on the World Natural Heritage List having this phenomenon, because many other larger and more significant rivers in the world do not have it.

Kopački rit was designated on the List of Ramsar areas in 1993. Protected areas on that List are protected under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as a waterfowl habitat. The Convention was signed in a city called Ramsar (Iran) in 1971, (so called Ramsar Convention). Croatia is a full member under this Convention from 1991. Kopački rit is also on the list of Important Bird Areas (IBAs). This program was developed by Birdlife International (a global association for bird protection; their habitat; and global bio-diversity that focuses people to the sustainable usage of natural resources) so to determine, supervise and protect the global network areas that are important habitats for birds and for the bio-diversity in general. The partners in this association take full responsibility for the enforcement of the program on a national scale. Besides that, the Nature Park and Special Zoological Reserve were assigned as an area of international importance being part of the “Natura 2000 Networking Program”, so Kopački rit will be a significant candidate to join this network when Croatia accesses the European Union. An ecological network is a system of the most valuable areas for endangered species, habitats, ecological systems, and landscapes that are sufficiently close to each other and connected with corridors. This kind of system enables an interactive communication and species exchange. Parts of the Danube and Drava floodplains outside the Nature Park are also of international importance.