In the 19th century, the region of Metohija was a part of the Old Serbia which, as a geographical term, arose under the influence of changes in the state, following the liberation of the Principality of Serbia. The Metohija Basin is oval in shape, a clearly bordered and distinct area surrounded by the Prokletije and Sar-Planina Mountains. There are numerous cultural and natural resources in the region of Metohija, which are of exceptional value to world, European and national heritage. The monasteries and churches are title deeds of the Serbian presence, creativity and identity in this region over centuries, as well as a confirmation of the Serbian territorial integrity and sovereignty. They are borderlines of the sovereign Serbian state. The demolition of Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries, the destruction of cemeteries and cultural monuments, is present as a part of a wider Albanian strategy, with the aim of changing not only the demographic, but also the cultural and historical identity of the province. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the system of protection and the current state of cultural and natural resources in the region of Metohija, as well as to define the risks and threats that they are exposed to, and thereby indicate the direction to follow in order to improve and preserve the Serbian national heritage in the region of Metohija. Apart from theoretical methods such as content analysis and a comparative method, due to complexity of the research, this paper includes an observation method involving frequent field visits. The Delphi method was used, a group expert interview, in order to obtain value judgements which relate to the topic of the research, as well as a selective study of Focused sampling, which was applied to individuals of special interest to this study. The protection of national heritage is one of the functions of the state, an activity carried out by expert and scientific institutions, an act of responsibility and choice of civil society. The measures of protection of the Serbian national heritage in the Metohija region, observed over longer period, have shown to be non-functional and inefficient, and therefore require functional and institutional adjustment to the current situation in the region, in order to improve the protection and preservation of the Serbian national heritage. The implementation of all encompassing measures of long-term protection of the Serbian national heritage in the Metohija region is essential, as there is a serious threat of irreversible destruction of a significant part of the cultural heritage in particular. In order to protect and preserve, as well as renew the national heritage, the greatest responsibility lies with the Republic of Serbia, but also with other international organisations and institutions, having in mind the current international protectorate over the southern province of Serbia. Prostor Metohije je predstavljao u 19. veku deo Stare Srbije koja je kao geografski naziv nastala pod uticajem državnih promena iza oslobođenja Kneževine Srbije. Metohijska kotlina je ovalnog oblika, jasno ograničena i izdvojena oblast okružena Prokletijama i Šar planinom. Na prostoru Metohije se nalazi veliki broj kulturnih i prirodnih dobara koja predstavljaju izuzetne vrednosti svetskog, evropskog i nacionalnog nasleđa. Manastiri i crkve su tapije vekovnog postojanja, stvaralaštva i identiteta Srba na ovom prostoru kao i potvrda srpskog teritorijalnog integriteta i suvereniteta. Oni su kameni međaši suverene srpske države. Na tom prostoru prisutno je uništavanje srpskih pravoslavnih crkava i manastira, zatiranja grobalja i spomenika kulture kao deo jedne šire albanske strategije čiji je cilj da promeni, ne samo demografski već i, kulturno-istorijski identitet pokrajine. Osnovni cilj rada je da se analizom sistema zaštite i postojećeg stanja kulturnih i prirodnih dobara na prostoru Metohije, kao i definisanjem rizika i pretnji kojima su izloženi ukaže na pravce kojima se treba kretati i rukovoditi kako bi se unapredila i sprovela zaštita i očuvanje srpske nacionalne baštine na prostoru Metohije. U radu se, zbog kompleksnosti istraživanja, osim teorijskih metoda kao što su analiza sadržaja i komparativne metode koristila i metoda posmatranja čestim prisustvom na terenu. Korišćena je Delfi metoda, grupni ekspertski intervju za dobijanje vrednosnih sudova koji se odnose na predmet istraživanja, kao i selektivna studija Fokusirani sempling koji je primenjen na pojedince posebno interesantne za ovaj rad. Zaštita nacionalne baštine je jedna od funkcija države, delatnost stručnih i naučnih institucija, obaveza i sloboda građanskog delovanja i ponašanja. Sistem mera zaštite srpske nacionalne baštine na prostoru Metohije, posmatrano kroz duži period, pokazao se nefunkcionalnim i neefikasnim pa je, stoga, neophodno u funkcionalnom i institucionalnom smislu njegovo prilagođavanje aktuelnoj situaciji na tom prostoru, a sve u cilju unapređenja njene zaštite i očuvanja. Neophodno je preduzimanje sveobuhvatnih mera dugoročne zaštite srpske nacionalne baštine na prostoru Metohije, jer preti ozbiljna opasnost nepovratnog gubitka velikog dela, posebno kulturnih dobara. U cilju očuvanja i zaštite, kao i obnove baštine najveća odgovornost je pred Republikom Srbijom, ali i pred međunarodnim organizacijama i institucijama s obzirom na trenutni međunarodni protektorat nad srpskom južnom pokrajinom.