Protection category:  significant landscape

Year of protection:  2024

County:  Karlovac

Location description:  the Mrežnica River basin, which includes the lower course of the Mrežnica River in the area of ​​the Cities of Duga Resa and Ogulin and the Municipality of Barilović and Generalski Stol

Area of ​​protected area: 1401.79 ha

Natura 2000 area: HR2000593 Mrežnica – Tounjčica

Basic features:

The fundamental natural value of the protected area is represented by the preserved karst watercourses of the Mrežnica River. Mrežnica is a karst river with more than 90 travertine waterfalls in various stages of formation, and 29 travertine barriers have been recorded in the area of ​​the Significant Landscape.  

The Mrežnica River basin is characterized by very interesting geological features and a rich geological heritage. Part of the area belongs to the most complex area of ​​the karst part of the Dinarides, which is tectonically very complex with characteristic scaly structures and dominant young-fault, or block tectonics. The expected result of the karstification process on this carbonate substrate is the appearance of numerous underground morphological forms: caves, pits and abysses.

The lower course of the Mrežnica River is partly covered with forest, and mostly with grasslands and arable land.

Interesting facts:

The Mrežnica watercourse is of particular importance for the strictly protected and target species of crayfish ( Austropotamobius torrentium ). In addition to the crayfish, this area is also home to the river or noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus ), which is also a strictly protected species, and the narrow-nosed crayfish ( Astacus leptodactylus ).

The fast parts of the Mrežnica stream are also important for the target species of fish: barbels, roaches, roaches and large porpoises. Out of a total of 45 species of freshwater fish recorded in this area, 8 of them are strictly protected, and a total of 6 species are considered endemic to the Danube basin: the Danube flounder ( Eudontomyzon vladykovi ), the Danube flounder ( Gobio obtusirostris ), the thin-tailed flounder ( Gobio uranoscopus ), the white-finned flounder ( Romanogobio vladykovi ), the large flounder ( Romanogobio vladykovi ) and the roach ( Ritulus virgo ).