Research, Surveys and Data Management

In 2000–2004, natural habitat types had been mapped across the whole Czech Republics territory to provide the Natura 2000 site identification with the background data. The process produced a whole-size habitat mapping layer (HML) having been used for fulfilling international duties, but also as an information source on habitat distribution and size for the State/Public Administration authorities, university students as well as for a lot of commercial bodies.

A new scheme of monitoring and research for the next decade is presented for the oldest national park in the Czech Republic – the Krkonoše/Giant Mts. NP situated in NE Bohemia, where the first truly scientific activities started already more than 200 years ago.

The amendment to Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on the Protection of Nature and the Landscape, namely Act No. 349/2009 Gazette has fundamentally changed ways how Sites of European Importance (pursuant to the above Act, the term for Site of Community Importance, SCI under the European Community’s Habitats Directive) are officially protected and managed in the Czech Republic.

The Menetries Ground Beetle (Carabus menetriesi) is a critically endangered member of the ground beetle (Carabidae) family. Pursuant to Directive No. 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive), it is the priority species to be protected in the European Union. At the same time, the insect species is included into the Czech Republics Red List of Threatened Species.

On June 22, 2006, a massive fire had broken out on the Havraní skála/Rook Rock in the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park. In total, 17.92 hectares of forests, consisting mostly of the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) with rarely dispersed Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) and European or Common Beach (Fagus sylvatica) were burnt as well as the White Eastern Pine (Pinus trobus) plantations located on northern and north-western slopes.

Populations of endangered fen-moss: Threeranked Hump-moss (Meesia triquetra), Tufted Fen-moss (Paludella squarrosa), Blandow’s Bog-moss (Helodium blandowii) and Rusty Hook-moss (Scorpidiumscorpioides) were studied. The recent localities of studied species were visited during years 2009 and 2010. Threeranked Hump-moss is only at four localities (Chvojnov, Louky u Černého lesa, Odměny u rybníka Svět a Šimanovské rašeliniště), populations of Threeranked Hump-moss consist of a very few stems. ...

Provision of nest-boxes is a technique commonly used to increase nest-site availability and quality for secondary cavity-nesting birds, including hole-nesting raptors and owls.

Alpine juniper (Juniperus communissubsp. alpina) is an amphiboreal arctic-alpine taxon that is vicarious for common juniper above the alpine timberline and in the Artic.