Nature Conservation 3/2010 — 22. 6. 2010 — On Nature in the Czech Republic — Print article in pdf
The Soutok – A New Protected Landscape Area in South Moravia?
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 area harbours a unique floodplain forest ecosystem with remarkable flora and fauna. It includes the Dyje/Thaya River floodplains downstream from the village of Nové Mlýny and the Morava River ones downstream from the town of Hodonín as far as to their confluence, covering in total 13,937.57 hectares. In addition, it would also protect significant parts of two extensive Sites of European Importance (in Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on the Protection of Nature and the Landscape, as amended later, the term for Sites of Community Importance, SCIs under the Habitats Directive): the Dyje/Thaya River Floodplain (2,944.91 of the total 3,249.04 hectares) and the Soutok-Podluží (9,364.13 of the total 9,718.19 hectares). The later SCI is almost identical with the Soutok-Tvrdonice Region Bird Area (pursuant the above Act, the term for Special Protection Area, SPA under the Birds Directive): the proposal includes 9,369.50 of the total 9,575.60 hectares. The whole area is a part of the Dolní Morava/Lower Morava River UNESCO Biosphere Reserve established in 2003. Two Ramsar sites, namely the Mokřady dolního Podyjí/ Floodplain of the Lower Dyje/Thaya River and a small part of the Lednické rybníky Fishponds (the Zámecký rybník/Castle Fishpond) also reach the proposed PLA. The article describes the area from a point of view of abiotic factors and presents its flora and fauna as well as the history of its settlement. Authors analyse the current state of the area, particularly forest management which is not optimal from a point of view of nature conservation. The State Nature Conservancy headed by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic has tried to declare the PLA there, which would provide an effective protection of the area. Within the area, the proposal to establish the PLA does not exclude economic activities, but sets some changes in them.