On Nature in the Czech Republic

The Pálava Protected Landscape Area (PLA) is located in south Moravia in the District of Břeclav and is situated on the territory of 11 municipalities. A part of its boundaries follows the state border between the Czech Republic and Austria. Covering the area of 86 km², it is one of the smallest large-size Specially Protected Areas in the Czech Republic. The PLA is a part of the more extensive Dolní Morava/Lower Moravia UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

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.

In 2006, the Pluto Temple cave system was discovered in the Teplice Rocks (the Broumov Highlands, the Adrspach-Teplice Rocks National Nature Reserve, northeastern Bohemia). The system consists of mostly underground space in block broken rocks on the edge of two gorges. Broken caves are located particularly along underground water course stretches of the gorges.

The Broumov region, an extremity of the Czech borders forced among the Orlické hory/Eagle, Mts., Krkonoše/Giant Mts. and the Polish Klodzko region, is one of the Protected Landscape Areas (PLA) in the Czech Republic. In 2011, the Broumovsko PLA has celebrating its 20^thanniversary. It was declared on the territory of 430 km² in 1991.

The Žďárské vrchy Hills Protected Landscape Area (PLA) located in the Districts of Žďár nad Sázavou, Havlíčkův Brod, Chrudim and Svitavy was declared on the territory of 709 km²in 1970. Its elevation ranges between 490 and 836.3 m a.s.l., the latter being Mt. Devět skal/Nine Rocks, the highest peak of the area. The PLAs administration managing nature and the landscape administration is based at Žďár nad Sázavou.

The Litovelské Pomoraví/Litovel Morava River Basin Protected Landscape Area (PLA) situated in Central Moravia between the city of Olomouc and town of Mohelnice was declared on the territory of 96 km²on October 29, 1990.

The Doupovske hory/Doupov Hills are situated in northwestern Bohemia between the towns of Karlovy Vary/Carlsbad and Kadaň.

In 2010, 60 years have passed since the discovery of the Koněprusy Caves, the biggest cave system in Bohemia, and 51 years since their part became a show cave.

Within large-size territorial protection of from a point of view of nature history valuable areas, the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic submitted a proposal to establish the Soutok Protected Landscape Area (PLA).

The Bílé Karpaty/White Carpathian Mts. were designated a Protected Landscape Area (PLA) in 1980 and became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1996. The PLA includes hills and low mountains which were folded in the Tertiary, in the same time as the Alps were.