The Drava Landscape Park comprises the area of the old, still natural bed of the Drava and the landscape beside it between Maribor and Ptuj. The park protects the ecologically and conservationally most valuable biotopes of the Drava, such as the old riverbed, spring-fed waters with their sources, and floodplain forests and groves.
The habitats of rare and endangered flora and fauna enjoy special protection, among them the sea buckthorn site, and the Zlatoličje nature reserve is specially protected as well.
Part of the Drava is on the list of internationally important bird areas. The water meadows, where water spreads out at times of flooding and where, once it recedes, diverse life springs up, have a unique value in this landscape.