"Those parks have development potential that can facilitate the sustainable economic development of mountainous regions," Zmajlovic said in a press release issued on Thursday.
The United Nations opted for "Mountain Farming" as this year's theme of Mountain Day in order to raise awareness of the increasing depopulation of mountainous which people leave due to unfavourable conditions of life and the bad economic situation.
"This year, the celebration of this Day aims to highlight Mountain Farming. Here we have an opportunity to raise awareness of how mountain agriculture, which is predominantly family farming, has been a model for sustainable development for centuries," the UN said in a press release.
"Covering around 27 percent of the Earth's land surface, mountains play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. They not only provide sustenance and wellbeing to 720 million mountain people around the world, but indirectly benefit billions more living downstream."
"In particular, mountains provide freshwater, energy and food – resources that will be increasingly scarce in coming decades. However, mountains also have a high incidence of poverty and are extremely vulnerable to climate change, deforestation, land degradation and natural disasters," the UN press release recalls.
"The challenge is to identify new and sustainable opportunities that can bring benefits to both highland and lowland communities and help to eradicate poverty without contributing to the degradation of fragile mountain ecosystems."
The Croatian ministry said that the protected areas could be of great importance for a viable development of mountainous regions.
The four national parks in mountainous regions are Plitvice Lakes, North Velebit, Risnjak and Paklenica, while nature parks are Biokovo, Medvednica, Papuk, Ucka, Velebit and Zumberak.
In 2013, projects which were finalised or launched with the aim of investing in protected areas were estimated at HRK 200 million, according to the ministry's press release.