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 4/2012 — 7. 11. 2012 — On Nature in the Czech Republic — Print article in pdf
Vlačiha V., Janda Z. & Obermajer J.: The České Středohoří/Bohemian Mittelgebirge Hills – A Jewel Cre
Klenot stvořený ohněm, zvelebený pluhem
The České středohoří/Bohemian Mittelgebirge Hills Protected Landscape Area (PLA) was established in 1976, due to its extraordinarily valuable landscape scenery, caused by hundreds of mountains and hills related to the volcanic origin of the whole area.
In addition, the area has been known by the occurrence of many rare wild plant and animal species, particularly those preferring sunny and dry habitats. Because of a relatively small territory (approx. 1,063 km2), high elevation diversification and heterogeneity in soil, climate and ecological conditions, the PLA harbours amazing species richness. It includes not only the species-rich feather grass (Stipa spp.) grasslands, the most extensive in the Czech Republic which had been influenced for a long time by agriculture activities but also hundreds of threatened species of vascular plants, beetles, butterflies, arachnids or birds. There also are natural rock and stone debris or termophilous oak and oak/hornbeam forests as well as wet submontane meadows, the Peregrine (Falco peregrinus) nest sites on rocks and those of the Common Crane (Grus grus) in reed beds near water bodies there. At present, there are 43 small-size Specially Protected Areas: the highest proportion of them maintains geological phenomena or the occurrence of preserved steppe flora. The protected areas network also includes 32 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 Union’s Habitats Directive), which partially overlap with the areas protected under the Czech Republic legislation.