Following years of initiatives aimed at designating certain areas of Serbia as national parks (from 1975 to 1979), the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia enacted the Law on the Kopaonik National Park on July 13, 1981 (Official Gazette of the SRS No. 41/81 of July 18, 1981). According to this law, under the organizational system at that time, the national park was managed by the Self-Managed Interest Community of the National Park, with a supporting professional service and its headquarters located at Kopaonik. A new Law on the Kopaonik National Park was adopted by the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia on July 26, 1988 (Official Gazette of the SRS No. 29/88 of July 30, 1988). This law provided for the establishment of a working organization for the protection and development of the Kopaonik National Park as the managing entity, with the Assembly of the SRS as its founder. Consequently, the Enterprise for the Protection and Development of the Kopaonik National Park was established by a founding decision dated February 23, 1989, enacted by the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia (Official Gazette of the SRS No. 6/89 of February 25, 1989). The headquarters of the Enterprise is located in the tourist center of Suvo Rudište at Kopaonik.

Following the adoption of the Law on National Parks by the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on May 26, 1993 (Official Gazette of the RS No. 39/93 of May 31, 1993), the Public Enterprise “National Park Kopaonik” was established as the legal successor to the Enterprise for the Protection and Development of the Kopaonik National Park. This public enterprise continues to manage the National Park. The primary activities of the Enterprise include the protection of natural values, cultural heritage, and other notable features.

In this context, the Enterprise:

  • conserves, enhances, and promotes the natural and cultural values of the National Park Kopaonik
  • implements prescribed protection regimes
  • ensures the uninterrupted continuation of natural processes and sustainable use of the area
  • Ensures oversight of the implementation of nature protection conditions and measures
  • Presents and popularizes the values of the protected area, and monitors visitor movements and activities

Additionally, the Enterprise engages in:

  • forest management within the National Park Kopaonik

  • protection, cultivation, enhancement, and utilization of hunting and fishing fauna

  • scientific research related to conservation and development
  • designing, constructing, and maintaining facilities that support conservation efforts

The organization is structured into three sectors: the Sector for Protection and Development of Natural and Other Values, the Sector for Conservation of Protected Areas, and the Sector for Legal and Economic Affairs.

Previous Directors

Miodrag Jemuović (1981-1989)

Obrad Obradović (1989-1992)

Milosav Maksimović (1992-2002)

Milosav Filipović (2002-2004)

Dragan Karović (2004-2008)

Bojan Milovanović (2008-)