ABSTRACT
In Croatia, the Lastovo Islands Nature Park (NP) is situated in the southern part of the Adriatic Sea (Figure 12.1). The archipelago consists of the main island Lastovo (40 km2) and more than 40 small surrounding islands, islets, rocks and reefs. Lastovo Island with its surrounding waters and islands was officially declared a Protected Area (PA) and named the Lastovo Archipelago Nature Park on 29 September 2006 under category V of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The surface of the whole PA measures 195 km2, out of which 52 km2 is on land and the remainder at sea (143 km2). It is the second biggest marine PA in Croatia, and its borders extend to a minimum of 500 m from the Islands' shorelines. Lastovo Islands NP is also part of the Ecological Network and very likely to become part of the Natura 2000 Network. The climate of the Lastovo Islands is typical of the Mediterranean, with predominantly mild moist winters and warm, long and dry summers. They receive around 2,700 hours of sunshine per year, ranking them one of the sunniest places in the Adriatic Sea. Annual rainfall is approximately 650 mm.
