 Obedska pond is one of the world's oldest nature areas, first administrative protective measures having been introduced 1874, when the Habsburg Empire protected it as hunting ground of the royal family.Presently, it has first-category legal protection status, denoting a natural asset of exceptional value.Its status has been verified by the Ramsar Convention on swamps since 1977, and included in the List of areas of special significance for birds of Europe of Important Bird Area project, and UNESCO's list of world's most important wetland areas.