With the outbreak of war in 1991, many staff were forced to leave the park, and some facilities were damaged. The area is noted for its lakes, caves and waterfalls. The forests of the park are a refuge for bears, wolves and many bird species. The area of the Plitvice Lakes National Park is protected pursuant to the Croatian Constitution and the Nature Protection Law. Economic and any other kind of activity is possible only in line with the regulations concerning the Internal Order in the area.
Management is done at a national level.
The Council of Management, which consists of seven members, is appointed by the Government. The first General Development Plan of the Park was adopted by the Assembly of the local commune in 1970. From 1972 the park was run as a company operating on market principles which owned the tourist facilities and was supplied by local farmers. A Zoning Plan dating from 1986 is still valid, but environmental protection measures are not considered to be stringent enough to solve the problems which the park now faces. In 1996, the Ministry of Tourism and the park management drew up the Tourism Revitalization Program for the Plitvice Lakes National Park, with the aim of drawing visitors back to the park, without threatening the site's natural values.