The Journal is published by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic, the Krkonoše Mts. National Park Administration, the Bohemian Forest Mts. National Park Administration, the Podyjí National Park Administration and the The Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration. It has been published since 1946.
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Nature Conservation 5/2011 — 2. 1. 2012 — Research, Surveys and Data Management — Print article in pdf
Jeřábková L. & Boukal D.: Live Traps – An Effective Method for Studying Amphibians and Water Beetles
účinná metoda průzkumu čolků a vodních brouků
For effective threatened species conservation and management, good knowledge of their distribution, population status as well as of external threats is necessary. Live traps are one of the methods which allow gathering such data on water beetles and newts.
The traps baiting an animal are in line with the national legislation, particularly with Act No. 114/1992 Gazette on the Protection of Nature and the Landscape, as amended later. Traps are set on water surface at sites covered by vegetation and in shallow near-shore water. They are sufficient in space and do not limit trapped animals in movement, allowing them breathing normally as well as foraging for food. The method has appeared to be the most effective in spring, when adults belonging to most of the target species used to begin to forage actively for food, preparing themselves to reproduce. Similarly to other methods, there are pros and cons in using the live traps in the field. Moreover, disadvantages can be eliminating when applying the method correctly as it was clearly revealed by finding new sites inhabited by rare species. For more details, see www.biomonitoring.cz, www.biolib.cz or http://www.entu.cas.cz/boukal/beetle.html.