The Public Institution for the Protection and Conservation of Nature of Lika-Senj County was established in 2006 by a decision of the County Assembly of Lika-Senj County. The main reason for its establishment is the management of 10 protected nature areas declared under the laws of the Republic of Croatia and 44 areas of the NATURA 2000 ecological network, an ecological network of the European Union that includes conservation areas at the European level that are important for species and habitat types, as well as for birds.

Scientific research activities are systematically carried out on watercourses, commercial and protective forests, meadows and rock habitats. The real hidden wealth (archaeological, speleological, hydromorphological and geological) lies underground in the extremely sensitive karst. This is evidenced by a series of caves and pits that need to be systematically investigated, two geomorphological monuments of nature, findings of endemic and relict fish species in the underground streams of the Jadova, and an extremely important site of the habitat of the ogre.

In the maritime part of the County, there are protected areas and ecological network areas managed by the Institution, all within the administrative borders of the city of Novalja, along with the coves of the coastal zone (Svetojanj V. and M., Lusk cove, Caska and Stara Novalja), the Pag rocks of the Velebit channel (Rt Deda - Rt Krištofer), the seabed (Lun) and submerged caves, the islet of Dolfin, Paška vrata and the islands of Škrda and Maun, we also take care of the special botanical reserve Lun - wild olives.