The Journal is published by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic, the Krkonoše Mts. National Park Administration, the Bohemian Forest Mts. National Park Administration, the Podyjí National Park Administration and the The Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration. It has been published since 1946.
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Nature Conservation 2/2011 — 11. 7. 2011 — On Nature in the Czech Republic — Print article in pdf
The Mt. Blaník Protected Landscape Area Thirty Year Old
The Mt. Blaník Protected Landscape Area (PLA) located in central Bohemia was declared on December 29, 1981, covering 709 km2. It main aim is to preserve harmonically formed, biologically healthy landscape with the central dominant – the mysterious Mt. Blaník. The PLA harbours specific countryside settlements including rests of folk vermacular architecture, sacral buildings and small rural castles. Velký/Big and Malý/Little Blaník peaks have been famous due to the old Czech legend on the Knights of Blaník.
The myth says that a huge army of Czech knights led by St. Wenceslas sleeps inside the mountain. The warriors will awaken and help the Motherland when she is in great danger. In the 19thcentury, Mt. Blaník became one of the most considerable Czech nation’s symbols and the tradition has been maintained. The Roudný gold mine had once produced the biggest volume of gold in the whole former Austro--Hungarian monarchy. From a point of view of natural history, small, nutrient-poor water bodies and springs inhabited with a huge range of water and wetland communities are the most remarkable. On third of the PLA’ s total territory is covered by forests. The most valuable growths, namely acidophilous beech forests with woodrush (Luzula spp.), are situated in small-size Specially Protected Areas on both the Mt. Blaník peaks. Within the Mt. Blaník PLA, a lot of rare and Specially Protected wildlife species have been found, of them more than 20 plant species and more than 150 invertebrate and vertebrate ones. In total, there are 22 specially protected veteran trees, the oldest having reached 350 years. In addition, the PLA includes five small-size Specially Protected Areas. Two of them are forest ones, while the others protect fishpond communities with adjacent meadows. Among the above, two are the Sites of European Importance (pursuant to Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on the Protection of Nature and the Landscape, as amended later, the term for Site of Community Importance, SCI under the European Community’s Habitats Directive). The Blaník PLA Administration provide the most valuable sites with management measures, e.g. with water pool restoration, mowing the meadows, planting greenery outside the forest and environmentally friendly forest growth plantations. The PLA Administration aims namely at harmonious development of the area, maintaining and improving valuable natural and cultural heritage of the region on the Mt. Blaník foothills.