Podrobné vyhledávání v článcích

Every cave represents a unique natural phenomenon, preserving the complex links between living and non-living nature. They often contain paleontological findings as well as archaeological monuments connected with the development of the humans. The remains of animals get into the caves through the sinking of debris and alluvium. Some animals use caves for hibernation, others as shelters, dens, and food stores. And some find death underground after being caught in a natural trap...

Lowland wetland meadows are among the most endangered habitats in the Czech Republic. The main drivers of their decline and loss include particularly decline in traditional management measures, targeted draining, consequent overgrowing by natural self-seeding as well as spreading aggressive plant species the latter excluding wild plant and animal species there. Thus, suitable meadow wetland management should aim namely at maintaining an open character of the above habitat effectively provided by grazing and mowing.. Although it may not be apparent at first glance, these measures can also significantly affect small water bodies in the immediate vicinity of the managed area. The article presents the project entitled Management measures and assessment of their impact on meadow wetland biodiversity and it introduces the pilot results of water body hydrobiological monitoring in a meadow wetland near the village of Krumvíř (South Moravia).

The Nature Restoration Law sets a challenging (and if fulfilled, probably effective) goal of implementing measures to improve the state of natural habitats by 2050 wherever it is needed, and by 2030 on at least 20% of EU land and sea areas. Formal implementation of established (technological) procedures for the restoration of forest habitats, only applied within the prescribed territorial scope, is not sufficient for truly improving the condition of forest habitats and the populations of wildlife bound to them. If we are to achieve real restoration of nature, how the Nature Restoration Law is implemented, will be very important. Not only in the case of forests (but especially with them), we should significantly employ the creative forces of nature itself and, simultaneously, sensibly use an active management approach.

The Czech Republic, like other EU Member States, should produce a specific proposal to increase the coverage and protection, conservation and management intensity in protected areas by the end of 2022. This follows from the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (hereinafter, the 2030 Strategy), which considers effectively managed protected areas to be one of the key tools to halt the loss of biodiversity and, inter alia, expects to protect 30% of the land, of which one third strictly. The contributions of individual Member States should take into account different conditions and reflect their real importance for the biodiversity conservation. What can we realistically offer in the given time horizon? This is still a subject of professional debate. This article aims to summarize the starting points, the current state, quantify the possible liabilities and, thus, contribute to this discussion.

On 22 June 2022, the European Commission published a draft Nature Restoration Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council. It brings a legislative instrument to fulfil the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 adopted two years ago, which includes a plan for nature restoration and is one of the pillars of the European Green Deal. The European Commission thereby fulfils its task arising from the strategy, to submit a legally binding proposal for objectives in the field of nature restoration (restoration of disturbed ecosystems). The dramatic increase in extreme weather events, risks and threats in the area of living standards, security and social peace significantly increases the urgency of implementing measures aimed at restoring ecosystems, as a prerequisite for ensuring long-term food and energy self-sufficiency as well as human well-being.

In 2022, half a century has passed since the colourful limestone landscape nor far from Prague was declared as Protected Landscape Area (PLA). The Český kras/Bohemian Karst is a textbook of changes in nature from the sea with trilobites almost half a billion years ago, to the current overgrowing the landscape and decline in rare species. In contrast to mountainous and remote protected areas, the nature and the landscape have been co-created and shaped by humans over many thousands of years there, and it would be incorrect to consider nature conservation without humans, land managers, and visitors. The article presents half a century of rapid social changes as well as changes in the landscape and nature in this picturesque, dynamic and at the same time in some aspects stable area. Stable with respect to the fact which phenomena have been preserved under the title of the PLA, particularly by recovery and replacement of traditional management.

Dear readers, 

You have got a special English issue of Ochrana přírody/Nature Conservation Journal published by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic. The Agency traditionally submits each year a selection of articles from the previous year translated into English and publishes it as a supplement aiming at sharing the experience with colleagues from abroad, thus at least partially overcoming language barrier which can be fully removed neither by automatic translators. 

The European Union has been aware of the specific geopolitical status of Africa and its extraordinary importance for protection and conservation of biodiversity including natural ecosystems as well as of need to support sustainable economic prosperity there. The European Green Deal states: “The EU will launch a “NaturAfrica” initiative to tackle biodiversity loss by creating a network of protected areas to protect wildlife and offer opportunities in green sectors for local populations.” The article aims at proposing possible measures to meet the above high ambition.

The International Union of Speleology (UIS) has declared 2021 as the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK). Unique phenomena in our landscape have therewith received deserved attention. Of more than 2,460 karst caves in the Czech Republic, 14 are show caves. All of them are fully legally protected according to national law and in addition, most of them are also protected as important bat hibernation sites (hibernacula) at the European level pursuant to the European Union’s legislation, namely the Habitats Directive. An important pillar of nature conservation is regular monitoring of Specially Protected animal species, and this also is the case in caves.

Invasive alien species (IAS), together with natural ecosystem fragmentation, degradation, destruction and loss, growing natural-resource consumption, environmental pollution and climate change, are among the main negative factors threatening native species and the biodiversity of native ecosystems. In addition, they can cause high economic damage/financial costs or adversely affect human health. Due to the ability of IAS to spread, an isolated approach to their management at the level of individual regions or countries is usually not effective; we need a targeted and tailored strategy that transcends national borders. Therefore, Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species was adopted in the European Union, which was transposed into the Czech Republic’s legal order by amending Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection, and other laws related to the issue, entering into force January 1, 2022.