Zvezdarska suma (Zvezdara Forest) is located in the eastern part of Belgrade, on the territory of the city municipality of Zvezdara and is part of the middle zone of the urban structure of Belgrade. In terms of location, it occupies the right bank of the Danube River, a wooded part of “Veliki Vracar”. It belongs to the management unit "Zvezdara". The total area of the protected area is 80 ha 57 a 87 m² in state and private property. The forest is squeezed on all sides by the urban structure, which caused a completely irregular shape of the forest’s space.

The area that is called “Zvezdara”, was covered with vineyards, orchards and oriental gardens during the 17th and 18th centuries. Wealthy Turks and other nobles had their summer houses there, and this area was called “Ekmekluk”. Later,  this place,  with its magnificent gardens,  was neglected due to its strategic position on the hill during the wars, especially for the Austrian army that took Belgrade from the Turks during the Austro-Turkish War in 1789, and the route of today's Volgina Street was the route of a moat named after the Austrian military leader Field Marshal Baron Gideon Ernest Laudon.

It was only in the 20th century, between the two world wars, that the slopes below “Zvezdarsko Brdo” were  inhabited as modest settlements of farmers and laborers.

Originally, the name "Zvezdara" was given to a plateau in another part of the city, in today's

Vracar near Karadjordjev Park, because the building of the Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory was located there from 1891 (since 1924, only the Meteorological Observatory). After the construction of the Astronomical Observatory complex in that area, the name of this Belgrade hill was also changed. The Zvezdara Forest, and then the city municipality of Zvezdara, have carried their names since then. In the early 1930s, the City Hospital building was  built on the slopes of Zvezdara using funds from the endowment fund of merchant Nikola Spasic, according to a project by architect Ignjat Popovic.

The area around Zvezdara Hill was settled after World War II. The planting of tens of thousands of young seedlings continued the greening of the hill, so that the General Urban Plan from 1972 recognized Zvezdara as a park forest. It became a picnic oasis with various recreational facilities.

The Astronomical Observatory, a cultural monument (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 32/01), which began operating in 1891, is one of the oldest scientific institutions in Serbia. It was built between 1929 and 1931 according to the design of architect Jan Dubovi, as a complex with the Administration Building and pavilions housing astronomical equipment. The observatory is designed in a modernist spirit, with elements of academic historicism, characteristic of the interwar period. The carefully designed pavilions are adapted to the settings of functionalism, and the largest building in the complex - the Administration Building belongs to the modernist circle of ideas. Some of the original instruments for astronomical observations have been preserved in the pavilions of the observatory. Various types of telescopes at the time of their installation were among the most modern in the world. The interior design of the library within the Administration Building is particularly noteworthy.

In the area of the natural monument there is a social and child protection institution "Zvezdani gaj", a complex of 17 428 m2 and a building of about 3 700 m². As part of the children's center, in the same building there is also a preschool institution "Decji dani". In the Zvezdara Forest there is also the Institute "Mihajlo Pupin", with an area of 28 300 m², a leading institution dealing with information and communication technologies. 

136 plant species have been recorded in the area of the Zvezdara Forest. These are mainly allochthonous woody representatives and species that are typical of ruderal habitats. Nine species of trees have been recorded that fall into the category of rare, relict, endemic and endangered species, namely: white ash, white poplar, milk thistle, cherry, birch, alder, field elm, bear hazel and walnut. There are no strictly protected and endangered taxa in this area, and this very important urban green area represents an urban biotope.

Amphibians and reptiles are of great importance in the Zvezdara Forest protected area as transitional and final members of the biocenosis. A total of seven species of amphibians and reptiles have been recorded in the Zvezdara Forest.

77 species of birds of various protection status are found in and around Zvezdara Forest. Considering that green areas in Belgrade have been significantly reduced and are still very endangered, every area that still has some preserved forest habitats is of special value and has exceptional importance for the protection and preservation of bird diversity.

The mammal fauna of the natural monument "Zvezdara suma" consists of a total of 37 species, of which the presence of 20 species has been unequivocally proven by research, 10 are considered expected to be present, and 7 are possibly present.

The natural monument „Zvezdara suma“, was declared a protected area in order to preserve natural values, the structure and quality of the forest, soil and air, as well as to improve the spatial entity created by human activity, which is an important part of the urban green system and which primarily contributes to preventing landslides, regulating and improving microclimatic conditions and conditions for rest and recreation.

The protected natural asset "Veliko ratno ostrvo" (Great War Island), a landscape of exceptional qualities is the common name for two river adas (“Veliko” and “Malo ratno ostrvo” - Small War Island), which form a unique geological formation, located between the 1172nd and 1169th km of the Danube, with a protective belt 50 meters wide in water area, or from an elevation of 70.10 above sea level. The natural asset was protected in 2005 and includes every other surface of the soil of Veliko and Malo ratno ostrvo that, at the lowest water level, is above the river level, as well as all the streams that occur, or that may occur due to the action of water currents and changes in vegetation or as a result of sediment, and which are connected to the adas. Veliko ratno ostrvo, with an area of approximately 211 ha, is a unique element of nature in the center of Belgrade, located between two historical centers, the Belgrade Fortress and the Zemun Medieval Fortress.

At the junction of the Sava and Danube rivers, transported alluvial material was deposited, initially underwater, with the formation of an underwater reef that over time began to grow above the water surface and become a very beautiful paradise. Veliko ratno ostrvo has often changed its shape and this process of creation continues today. The appearance of the island was first recorded in the 16th century, as a small sandy reef, which was later divided by a water channel in the direction of the Danube. The oldest artistic depiction is on a map by the Hungarian cartographer Lazar Deak, around 1514. Just as it changed shape -  Veliko ratno ostrvo changed names. Its oldest name was Danube Island, then Gypsy Island, and only at the end of the 18th century (1775) did the island appear on maps, separated into three parts, with the name War Island. After World War I, when the islands lost their military significance, Small War Island was called Horse Island and Large War Island was called Poor Island.

The Constantinople Convention of 1741 regulated the issue of Danube and Sava islands. Large War Island was divided into two parts, Turkey received half of the island towards Belgrade, and Austria received the half towards Zemun and Banat. Our island owes its name "War" to history. It was a strategic point from which Belgrade was both attacked and defended. During the siege of Belgrade in 1521, the Turks launched their attacks from there. Three centuries later, in 1806, Karadjordje's rebels fired cannons from here at Kalemegdan, and in 1915 the Austro-Hungarians used it for the same purpose.

Veliko and Malo ratno ostrvo are located in the undefended floodplain of the Danube and therefore unsuitable for urbanization, and have remained without the direct influence of the urban zone of Belgrade, which surrounds them along two-thirds of the coast. The islands have remained as a green oasis of relatively preserved nature, which possesses the diversity and richness of living world, characteristic of the once wide floodplains of the Danube and Sava. When observing the distribution of different phytocenoses on the island, the so-called "gallery forests" are observed, i.e. forests spread out and alternate in rows depending on the amount of moisture in the substrate. The area is mostly covered with floodplain forests of willows and poplars, because their survival is affected by the groundwater regime. On Veliko ratno ostrvo, 146 different plant species have been recorded, of which 11 species are protected in accordance with the Regulation on the Proclamation and Protection of Strictly Protected and Protected Wild Species of Plants, Animals and Fungi, and two species are strictly protected (marsh hemlock and white water lily). Marsh vegetation is located in two longitudinal depressions of Veliko ratno ostrvo, called Veliki and Mali Galijas. The characteristic species of this marsh community build entire “underwater meadows” in the central part of the island. Veliko ratno ostrvo has also been declared a special fish habitat. One of the most important active measures for the preservation of floodplains within the island and thus the maintenance of natural fish spawning grounds are periodic hydrotechnical interventions for cleaning and opening the entrances themselves and ensuring a connection with the river flow for a longer period.

Veliki Galijas, the central part of this special fish habitat, was reconstructed and fully equipped during 2006-2007, and then in 2019. With a length of about 800 meters, a width of up to 30 meters, a predominantly depth of up to 2 meters at medium-high water levels and aquatic vegetation that provides a diverse spawning ground, and the fish world is represented by 79 species of fish.

Three zones with different protection regimes have been established for the protected area, as follows:

Nature protection zone - protection regime of level I which has the character of a special nature reserve, Recreation zone - protection regime of level II, Tourism zone - protection regime of level III.

Among the preserved wetlands located in Belgrade, Veliko and Malo ratno ostrvo have the greatest diversity in the number of animal species, especially birds, and plant species related to wetland habitats. On Veliko ratno ostrvo and around it, 219 bird species are found, of which 168 are strictly protected according to the Regulation on the Proclamation and Protection of Strictly Protected and Protected Wild Species of Plants, Animals and Fungi. In accordance with the same regulation, 33 bird species of Veliko ratno ostrvo have the status protected wild species. One of the most important nesting sites on Veliko ratno ostrvo is certainly the largest eagle in Europe – the white-tailed eagle. A pair of white-tailed eagles nest in the central part of the island.

The areas of Veliko ratno ostrvo and Malo ratno ostrvo, although they are relatively small, can be defined as areas of importance for environmental protection and cultural and historical heritage, and especially for the preservation of biodiversity, because they are home to sensitive and complex ecosystems and preserve areas important for the species and animal communities that inhabit them, and they also play a major role in maintaining the biodiversity of the wider coastal area and the city itself.

The protected area Veliko ratno ostrvo, a landscape of exceptional features, is entrusted to the management of the Public utility company “Zelenilo-Beograd”, Belgrade.

Topciderski park (Topcider Park) is the first park-shaped area in Serbia. The park is part of the Topcider spatial cultural and historical entity, which was declared as a cultural asset of exceptional importance for the Republic of Serbia. Topcider Park was protected in 2015 - as a natural asset, a natural monument.

Topcider Park was formed during the 19th century and later during the 20th century. It is located in the valley of the Topcider River. “Topcider” in Turkish means - cannon, artillery valley. In 1831, Prince Milos chose Topcider for the construction of a residential complex, the first and only residence of this type in the new Serbian state. In the period until 1834. the building of the “konak” (lodging), the Topcider church, the church “konak”, the economic buildings as well as the tavern, today's restaurant “Milosev konak” (Milos's konak), were built. The area around Topcider was a floodplain, it was drained and became the new field estate of Prince Milos. Agricultural crops, livestock, fruit and vegetables were grown there. This was the case until Prince Milos left the country in 1839. After that, with the arrival of engineer Atanasije Nikolic to Serbia, the landscaping of Topcider began. The park was built in a natural, free - English style. It had winding paths and was planted with, at first, local, and later exotic species of trees and plants. Lakes were formed - water mirrors in which swans lived.

Until 1849. In front of and around the “konak” there were unsightly willows, typical representatives of the habitat of wet terrain. In 1850, the first seedlings of pine, spruce and fir were brought from the mountain Tara. On the recommendation of Josif Pancic (Serbian physician, botanist, university professor and president of the Serbian Royal Academy), seedlings of maple, hazel and rowan were brought. Seeds of various ornamental grasses, flowers and shrubs were purchased from abroad. For special exotic species of trees and flowers that needed to be grown and kept in warm beds, a greenhouse was built in 1866. the first in Serbia, where famous Czech gardeners worked. Also, the presence of natural water determined the installation of fountains. The oldest fountain was built in 1834, is located across the street from the church and is called Miloseva cesma. The other two fountains are called “vracarske” and were built later, in 1858-60.

In the 1880s, Topcider became a resort where the more prominent population and the wealthier class came. Festivities, holidays and morning prayers were held in this area. The park had two parts. The area around the “Konak”, church and fountains, had the character of a city park, with rich plant material, paths, benches and fountains that decorated the surrounding area. In old photographs from that period, it can be seen that Topcider Park had the appearance of a modern European park from the 19th century. Even next to some rare and exotic species, there were signs with the names of plants. The other part of the park, through which the Topcider River flows, is forested and was attractive for visitors to stay longer in nature.

Today, the park as a protected area consists of two units: the Park Area and the Forest Park. The park area covers an area of 13 hectares, and the Forest Park covers an area of 17 hectares.

In the park area is Milos's Konak, in front of which there is still a stone "binjektas" - stone that Prince Milos used to mount his horse. In that part of the park, you can see plane trees, ash, maple, horse chestnut, pedunculate oak, black and white pine.

The most famous and most important tree in the park is the plane tree in front of the Konak. Legend says that a French gardener who planted plane trees after the Konak was built asked Prince Milos what to do with the remaining plane tree. It was quite unsightly and the worst of all those planted in the park. He replied: "Put it in this limestone in front of the Konak". Thus, the plane tree in front of the Konak, planted in limestone, reached impressive dimensions. However, this information is only a legend, as there is reliable information in the form of an invoice from 1866, which shows that 350 plane tree seedlings were purchased from Vienna and planted in the park that same spring. The largest plane tree in front of Milosev konak reached such large dimensions that after about thirty years it was supported by a metal hoop with pillars. Today, the plane tree is supported by 22 metal pillars that help it carry its extremely branched crown. It is called the largest living umbrella in Belgrade, its trunk diameter is about 2.50 m, its height is about 30 m, and its crown span is about 50 m.

The park also contains significant sculptures that have been declared cultural assets. This is the bronze statue of the “Zetelica” (Harvester), the first ever decorative park sculpture, the work of a Viennese sculptor from 1852. Then, there is the Obelisk monument, which was erected in honor of the return of Prince Milos to Serbia in 1859. This is also one of the first public monuments placed in Belgrade and its surroundings. There is also a sculpture of Dr. Archibald Reiss, a great friend of Serbia from the First World War. The monument was placed by the Association of Reserve Officers and Soldiers in 1931. A few years later, Reiss's comrades and fellow soldiers brought black and white pine seedlings from the mountain Zlatibor and planted them around the monument.

One part of the park includes water surfaces and a decorative pond with a bridge, and behind the restaurant "Milosev konak" there are two water mirrors. Of the trees, the most notable are the pedunculate oak of great age and size, ash, platinum, and beech trees. A special natural value of the park is the group of taxodium trees - swamp cypresses that, due to good habitat conditions and an appropriate groundwater level, have reached impressive dimensions and exceptional decorativeness. Their above-ground roots "pneumatophores" reach a height of up to 40 cm.

The second part of the park has a greenhouse from the 19th century, “Miloseva cesma” (Milos fountain) and two fountains - the Small and the Large Fountain. This area is enriched with specimens of ginkgo, plane trees, horse chestnut, maple, and conifers with pines and spruces

Topciderski Park is an extremely important park area that, with its cultural and historical, as well as natural and aesthetic values, has special significance for Belgrade and all of Serbia.

It is a green oasis that offers visitors endless opportunities to enjoy walks and recreation.

There are currently 28 protected trees in the city of Belgrade, the oldest of which represents a unique horticultural heritage of Belgrade. Their protection, preservation and improvement are managed by the Public Utility Company "Zelenilo-Beograd", Belgrade.

According to the Law on Nature Protection and a defined proposal from the Institute for

Nature Protection of Serbia, trees are protected based on a decision of the Belgrade City Assembly and earlier decisions of the Stari Grad and Zemun Municipal Assemblies, which require revision, so the number of protected trees changes periodically.

Protected trees represent a great botanical treasure, and the oldest one also represents a kind of horticultural heritage of our capital city. The basic criteria for protecting a tree are the species, age of the tree, external appearance, its historical significance, etc. Among the protected trees are pedunculate oak, sycamore, magnolia, ginkgo, Caucasian pterocarya, yew, European beech, horse chestnut, grapevine and others.

All protected trees – natural monuments have been assigned the III degree of protection. This means that it is forbidden to cut down these trees, break and cut branches, tear off leaves and perform any actions on the protected area that could threaten the survival of the protected tree.

The oldest protected tree is the “Oak on Cvetni trg”, about 225 years old and is the remnant of the former oak-ash forest that stretched from Cvetni trg to Manjez. The tree has impressive dimensions, about 19 m high, with a trunk circumference of about 4.3 m, and is in good health, and the larger primary branches in the crown are, in order to protect them from breakage, stabilized and connected with metal cables and clamps.

The Oak tree on Cvetni trg, which has adorned this area for two centuries, is a representative of the former autochthonous forests of pedunculate oak and ash. In the first half of the 19th century, a market was built in this part of Vracar, and in 1958, the first supermarket in the Balkans. Thus, Cvetni trg has retained the same purpose until now, which makes it particularly valuable in the history of the formation of Belgrade.

In the garden of the restaurant "Trandafilovic" there is the "Platan na Vracaru". This plane tree is one of the most beautiful and largest in the central city municipality in terms of beauty and dimensions and represents one of the horticultural heritages of the capital. It is about 170 years old, about 27 m high, and the trunk circumference is about 3.90 m.

Vracar appears as a toponym in 1495 in sources about the burning of the relics of the first Serbian Archbishop Sava Nemanjic. At the end of the 19th century, the urban development of Vracar began, roads were built, and among the main ones was Makenzijeva Street, where a protected plane tree stands in front of the "Trandafilovic" tavern.

When building the tavern, Milan Trandafilovic chose a conspicuous, characteristic location in the immediate vicinity of Kalenic Market in a square where five road directions fork, dominated by a plane tree. During the heyday of public and social life in Belgrade, the “Trandafilovic” tavern, with its choice of location and garden in which the plane tree creates deep shade, played an important role as a significant meeting place. The “Planet Tree on

Vracar” with its beautiful habit and imposing dimensions ennobles the space dominated by concrete and is its decoration. The “Ginkgo Tree” and the “Magnolia Tree” are located in the courtyard that is part of the cultural property Memorial House of King Peter I Karadjordjevic. Both trees have an impressive habit, about 120 years old, and the ginkgo tree is one of the most beautiful in Belgrade. It is about 22 m high, has a circumference of 2.7 m and is an exceptional specimen of its kind. The magnolia tree is about 7.8 m high with a trunk circumference of 1.8 m and has beautiful flowers that adorn this environment.

"Beech tree in Dedinje" is located in the yard of the kindergarten "Countess Olga" next to the villa, today the legacy-endowment of the former Russian countess and is part of the protected cultural and spatial entity Senjak, Topcidersko brdo and Dedinje and thus has environmental and cultural significance. It is about 90 years old, with impressive dimensions, strong and imposing habit and great aesthetic value. It is about 22m high, with a trunk circumference of 2.9m, it gets red leaves during the vegetation and is very attractive in appearance.

In the gate of the Cathedral Church, as part of a cultural space of exceptional importance, there are "Two yews of the Cathedral Church", trees about 130 years old, a male and a female specimen. The male tree is about 12.5m high with a trunk circumference of about 2m. Both trees enhance the space in front of the Cathedral Church, which is an immovable cultural asset of exceptional importance for the Republic of Serbia.

In Zemun, at Gospodska Street No. 4, there is a protected tree called “Vine of Zemun”, an old French variety Seibel 1000, about 110 years old.

It is characterized by a developed habit, great age and good vitality. It has great aesthetic value thanks to its height and wide branching that adorns the terrace and facade surfaces of the building at Gospodska 4 in Zemun. The natural monument is located in the courtyard of a building that has been declared an immovable cultural asset – “The Old Core of Zemun”, as a spatial cultural and historical entity. The house and courtyard where this vine is located date back to 1827. It was originally owned by the Puljo family, the owners of the first Zemun printing house, and later this house housed the wholesale and retail trade of the famous Zemun merchant family Zivanovic. The natural monument "Vine of Zemun" is one of the rare and preserved specimens of this grape variety, has great biological value and with its appearance contributes to the value of the ambience of the spatial, cultural and historical entity to which it belongs.

Protected individual trees - a total of 19 natural monuments, 28 individual trees:

Vase Pelagica No. 40 (Memorial House of King Peter I Karadjorđevic)

1.     "Ginkgo tree" (Ginkgo biloba L.)

2.     "Magnolia tree" (Magnolia x soulangeana Soul.)

Tolstojeva No. 9

3.     "Cedar tree" (Cedrus atlantica MAN)

Boticeva No. 12

4.     "Yew tree in Boticeva" (Taxus baccata L.)

5.     "Two magnolias in Boticeva" (Magnolia x soulangeana Soul. forma "Lennei")

Kneza Aleksandar Karadjordjevica Boulevard No. 10

6.     "Cypress in Dedinje" (Cupressus arizonica Greene)

Milutina Milankovica Park

7.     "Ginkgo in Vracara" (Ginkgo biloba L.)

Uzicka No. 18

8.     “Beech tree in Dedinje” (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Pozeska No. 28

9.     “Yew tree in Pozeska” (Taxus baccata L.)

Cvetni trg

10.  “Oak tree in Cvetni trg” (Quercus robur L.)

Garden of the restaurant “Trandafilovic”, Makenzijeva No. 73

11.  “Plantain tree in Vracar” (Platanus acerifolia Willd.)

Cara Dusana No. 55a

12.  “Chestnut tree in Dorcol” (Aesculus hippocastanum L.)

Gate of the Cathedral Church

13.”Two yew trees in the Cathedral Church” (Taxus baccata L.)

Kalemegdan

14.  “Pedunculate oak tree” (Quercus robur L.)

15.  “Bear hazel tree” (Corylus colurna L.)

Mije Kovacevica No. 4 (JKP "Gradska cistoca")

16.  "Oak in Mije Kovacevica Street" (Quercus robur L.)

Gospodska No. 4

17.  " Vine of Zemun " (Vitis vinifera L.)

City Park in Zemun

18.  "Five yew trees" (Taxus baccata L.)

19.  "Four groups of Caucasian pterocarya" (Pterocarya fraxinifolia Spach)

The natural monument "Pionirski park“  (Pioneer Park),  has been categorized since 2007 as a significant natural asset, with an established protection regime of the III degree.

Pioneer Park, with a total area of 3ha 60a 13m2, is located in the innermost central zone of Belgrade. Today's Pioneer Park, the former Palace Garden, forms a protected area of immovable cultural assets: the buildings of the Old Palace - today the building of the Belgrade City Assembly and the New Palace - today the seat of the President of the Republic of Serbia.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, the area of Pioneer Park was a swamp covered with sedge where the citizens came to hunt wild ducks. This was the case until the 1830s, when the land was purchased by Stojan Simic, a politician and one of the richest people in the Principality of Serbia. He drained the land, filled it with sand, leveled it, and built a residence there, the so-called Simic building, and around it was a garden with a number of trees from an earlier period. Simic soon sold the residence and garden to the state - for the purpose of forming the residence of Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic. At that time, the garden was enclosed by a high stone wall. After the Karadjordjevic dynasty left power and when Serbia was proclaimed a kingdom in 1882, the Old Royal Palace was built, the palace of King Milan Obrenovic. During that period, a magnificent fence was also erected in front of the Old Palace, facing Kralja Milana Street. Since 1961, the Belgrade City Assembly has been located there. Later, with the Karadjordjevics' return to power, the construction of the New Palace of King Aleksandar I Karadjordjevic began, which was started in 1911 and completed in 1922.

After World War II, in 1945, the stone wall was demolished, the fence was removed, and the Palace Garden was converted into a public city park called the Pioneer Park, after the fountain dedicated to the pioneers, which was built in 1952. In the 1950s, a children's playground was built and a fountain was installed, and on its edge is a bronze figure of a girl with a jug, which remained from the Palace Garden. On the corner of Kneza Milosa Street and Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, there is an observation post of the Supreme

Command of the Serbian Army, which was transferred from Kajmakcalan, after the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki Front. In front of it is a retaining wall made of ashlars with sixteen bronze relief portraits of French and Serbian military leaders.

The park also houses several contemporary sculptures, including a monument to the painter Nadezda Petrovic. There is also the figure "Interrupted Game", the sculpture "Happiness" - a seated figure. The park was a favorite place for walks for our Nobel laureate Ivo Andric. A section from the park to Kralja Milana Street has been reconstructed and named Andricev venac, and a bust of the famous writer and Nobel Prize winner for literature has been placed there. Nearby is the Ivo Andric Memorial Museum, at Andricev venac Street 8, in the apartment where the writer lived.

There is not much reliable information about the actual act of building and forming the

Palace Garden. It is known that King Milan Obrenovic began to take an interest in and care about the appearance and condition of this garden, so that it would have the appearance of European parks. For the first time in Serbia, cricket was played there on the grass, and later tennis and ice skating. In the upper part of the garden, tree species that are assumed to originate from the Pancic Botanical Garden were planted, some specimens of which still exist in the park today. The upper part of the garden was arranged in a free landscape style, which is a characteristic of English parks, and the part of the garden facing Kralja Milana Street, where there were richly decorated flower beds, was maintained in the French style.

Today, the Park consists of three spatially distinct sub-units: the first - the upper part of the park along the Kralja Aleksandra Boulevard Street, designed in a landscape (free) style, which is a characteristic of English parks, represents the largest part of the Park with the highest quality dendrological plants; the second – a flower parterre in front of the City Hall building, without tall plants and the third – towards Kralja Milana Street, between the two palaces, with a rich flower parterre and a fountain that was re-placed there after the reconstruction in 2004. These two areas are designed in a geometric, French style.

The wealth of the Park consists of various types of trees. The imposing dimensions of the most valuable specimens are particularly noteworthy: pedunculate oak, nettle, ginkgo, horse chestnut and other specimens. The oldest tree in the park is certainly the pedunculate oak, of imposing dimensions and great aesthetic value. Historical data prove that the oak is a descendant of the famous Takovski grm, an old pedunculate oak tree under which Prince Milos Obrenovic announced the beginning of the Second Serbian Uprising on Cveti in 1815. Some specimens of trees date back to the first half of the 20th century, including an avenue of Crimean linden trees, planted after the construction of the New Palace in 1922.

The landscape and architectural value of the Park, with significant views of the surrounding spatial elements, forms an inseparable whole with the cultural and historical values of this area, which gives it great importance in nurturing the recog

The special natural value of "Bajfordova suma" (Byford's Forest), is the richness of its birdlife, which was the basis for its protection in 1993 and its declaration as a natural monument. The forest is located in the municipality of Vozdovac between Bulevar Oslobodjenja, General Pavla Jurisica Sturma Street and Crnotravska Street. The forest extends along Bulevar Oslobodjenja for 2300m. The area of the protected natural asset is 40ha, 33 ares and 76 m² in today's borders.

In orographic terms, the area of Byford's Forest is a plateau, part of the Sumadija Ridge with a northsouth direction, at an altitude of 122-178 meters above sea level. The geological base of the forest is made up of loess deposits, while eruptive rocks appear locally.

Regarding the hydrographic conditions, the forest belongs to the Sava river basin. On the southern side is the source of the Banjicki stream, which is channeled into the sewer in the lower part of the stream. The stream occasionally floods part of the complex.

The protected natural asset Byford's Forest has the role of regulating the further development of the city in the direction of Avala, and represents a link between urban and suburban greenery. With its existence in the urban fabric, it affects the city's mesoclimate, serves as a reservoir of fresh air, mitigates climatic and other extremes. It enables recreation for residents and their frequent stay in a healthy, natural environment. According to its purpose in the General Plan of Belgrade 2021, this area is intended for sports and recreation.

Once upon a time, there was a forest in this area that was cleared to grow vegetables. After World War I, the military command built a vehicle repair shop on the site of Autokomanda, and as a result, today's Liberation Square is popularly called Autokomanda, and this name has survived in the speech of citizens of Belgrade to this day. Until World War II, there was a military shooting range there, and the Banjicki stream ran along its entire length. Vozdovac is a settlement that emerged during the 1920s, profiled as a trade and craft bazaar in the peripheral ring around Belgrade. The social structure of the population was defined by the immigration of the middle class, mostly civil servants who were allowed to buy individual houses on favorable terms, mainly in the area from Autokomanda to the south between the then Sumadijska Street (later Bulevar JNA, and today's

Bulevar oslobodjenja) and Jova Ilica Street, named the Civil Service Colony. Something further south emerged after World War I and the Queen Mary Suburb. During the 1930s, a fair was held in the settlement opposite the "Kovac" tavern, in part of the area of today's Byford’s Forest, in June every year. Immediately before the war, Vozdovac was also equipped with a sewage system, and the section of the Bulevar JNA (Bulevar oslobodjenja) from Autokomanda to the excise station acquired its present-day, representative appearance, with two carriageways and a central tree line.

After the war, through voluntary actions from 1948 to 1950, the entire area was afforested, mainly with deciduous tree seedlings.

The Banjica forest complex was built on the habitat of linden and pedunculate oak. Conifers were planted later and form edge plantings. In the past period, a significant number of dendroflora species have spontaneously infiltrated existing anthropogenic stands, contributing to the richness of floristic biodiversity.

Due to the great shoot strength of these plant species, a dense structure of the second vegetation layer, i.e. the layer of shrubs and ground flora, has developed, which has contributed to the settlement of a large number of birds.

The dendroflora of the first layer consists of maples, pedunculate oak, poplar and acacia. They most often occur in pure stands or in combinations with each other. Accompanying species are ash, hornbeam and linden.

The second floor consists of: hawthorn, maple, acacia, poplar, hornbeam, ash, linden, walnut, hazel, dogwood. The second floor consists of lower trees, undergrowth and shrubs. The ground flora consists of: ivy, strawberry, green cowslip, hairy violet, red clover, fescue, etc. Based on a detailed reconnaissance of the terrain in the Byford’s Forest, 58 (woody, shrubby and herbaceous) medicinal plant species have been identified. Of the 58 species, 25 woody species have been identified on the first floor, 5 shrubby species on the second floor and 28 herbaceous species on the third floor. The moss flora in the "Byford’s Forest" area consists of 28 species of moss. Mosses play a significant role in maintaining ecosystems and are very good bioindicators of water and air pollution. The largest number lives on concrete walls, followed by stumps, tree bark and soil.

Research has recorded 112 species of fungi in the forest. The ecological role of fungi in nature is extremely important, primarily because they enable the decomposition of dead plant remains and the circulation of matter.

The special natural value of Byford’s Forest is the richness of its birdlife, which is why it was declared a natural monument. Special merit for placing this forest under protection goes to film director, screenwriter and passionate birdwatcher John Timothy Byford, who intensively studied and observed birds in the period from 1986 to 1989, proposed and significantly contributed to its protection.

Based on the location and basic vegetation characteristics, the bird fauna of Byford’s Forest belongs to the European-continental type with a composition dominated by bird species characteristic of deciduous forests. In addition to the natural factors that have influenced the composition and structure of the bird fauna of this area, anthropogenic factors have also had a very significant impact. Byford’s Forest is today located in an urban area and is exposed to various impacts of urbanization from all sides. According to research by ornithologists, 72 bird species nest and reside in the protected area (as wintering grounds, passage during migration, sporadically or permanently). Although the protected area of Byford’s Forest does not contain completely autochthonous and natural habitats, but is an artificially created park-forest with ruderal areas, it still has a certain value in terms of the richness of the bird fauna and biodiversity in general. This value is expressed when this area is considered as part of a network of urban green spaces, and not as an isolated area. The species composition is such that there are no particularly endangered species and that widespread and euryvalent species dominate. However, their presence in the city center has a certain value not only in terms of biodiversity protection, but also in terms of recreational functions.

The Byford’s Forest area, as an area of local importance, is classified as a protected area of category III. The natural property belongs to the IV Category of the IUCN classification (Classification of the International Union of Conservation of Nature).