On Nature in the Czech Republic

Nature Conservation 1/2009 — 20. 2. 2009 — On Nature in the Czech Republic — Print article in pdf

The Křivoklát Protected Landscape Area

author: Petr Hůla

The Křivoklát Region was declared as a Protected Landscape Area...

The Křivoklát Region was declared as a Protected Landscape Area (PLA) on November 24, 1978, after having been included among the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves on March 1, 1977. Within the European Community’s Natura 2000 network, about a half of the PLA is now covered by a Bird Area (in Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on the Protection of Nature and the Landscape, as amended later, the term for Special Protection Areas, SPAs under the Birds Directive) and 10 Sites of European Importance (in the above act the term for Sites of Community Importance, SCIs under the Habitats Directive) have been included into the National List of proposed SCIs. The Křivoklát PLA covers 628 km2 and is situated in western part of Central Bohemia. A valley along naturally meandering central part of the the Berounka River is a backbone of the Křivoklát PLA. Geologically diverse bedrock together with terrain morphology with various expositions has caused the extraordinary richness of sharply different and unique habitat types: some of them are remarkable within the whole country’s territory. Unusual occurrence of relic species and communities is related to mixture of river, top, valley and debris habitats. A continuous growth of semi-natural and natural forests also is of extraordinary importance. From a point of view of flora and vegetation, 84 native forest tree species and more than 1,800 vascular plant species and subspecies have been found there. Zoological inventories and research have confirmed the presence of 24 Critically Endangered, 60 Highly Endangered and 60 Endangered wild animal species. Main threats to the PLA’s natural values include some forest management measures, not aiming at reaching semi-natural species composition and spatial structure in forests as well as high numbers in some game species (the Red Deer Cervus elaphus, Mouflon Ovis orientalis musimon and Wild Boar Sus scrofa) which almost eliminate forest natural regeneration and seriously damage the nature conservation in most habitat types. The Křivoklát region harbours a unique set of wildlife species and habitats which has no analogy in the Czech Republic and which is very rare also across Europe. Therefore, the most valuable parts of the Křivoklát PLA, covering approx. 113 km2, are assumed to be declared as a National Park.