From its foundation up to today

Kozjansko park is one of the oldest and largest protected areas in Slovenia. The Republic of Slovenia declared a major part of the Kozjansko and Obsotelje regions a protected area in 1981 – Trebče memorial park (Trebče Memorial Park Act, Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia No. 1/811) based on the area’s combination of cultural heritage and environmental values.

For professional, systematic and advertising purposes, the region has increasingly become known as the Kozjansko park. With the Nature Conservation Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia No. 56/99) from 1999, the name, status and the manager of the protected area, which became known as Kozjansko park with the public institute as managing body. The regional park is a large area of ecosystems typical of the region and of landscapes comprising larger areas of primordial nature, where human interference is present, but is well balanced with the nature in terms of sustainability and environment-friendlessness.

Natural science studies consistently indicate an extremely high level of biodiversity in the area.

Its extremely high level of biodiversity places the Kozjansko park among the most important nature protection areas in Slovenia and Europe as the majority of the park (69%) has been part of the ecologically important areas in Slovenia since 2004 as well as belonging to the NATURA 2000 European special protection areas.

Since 2010, the wider area of Kozjansko and Obsotelje (a region surrounding the River Sotla) has had the status of Kozjansko and Obsotelje biosphere area under the protection of UNESCO as part of the MAB programme (Man and Biosphere).