Ochrana přírody 4/2025 — 28. 8. 2025 — Summary
SUMMARY – Ochrana přírody 4/2025
Vébrová D. & Härtel H.: 25 Years of Forest Development in the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park (Northern Bohemia)
Sandstone rock areas are generally considered to be very dynamic in natural development. After 25 years of the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park’s existence, even regular visitors can see the relatively sudden and extensive changes in forest ecosystems. From a natural science perspective, the processes have resulted in a higher proportion of natural forest features, e.g. dead wood, succession and regeneration stages, spatial diversity of the forest, and the decline in mature and compact Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands, which were previously so typical of České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland. Direct human intervention, which was preferred in the National Park´s early days, has had only a minor impact on the transformation of the forest. The interventionist approach to forest management in the first 15 years of the National Park’s existence was chosen with the aim of locally accelerating the transformation of the species composition in originally cultivated/commercial spruce stands in secondary habitats, promoting age and spatial diversity, and removing the invasively spreading Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Since the climatically extreme year of 2017, disturbance events have become more prevalent, triggering droughts, wind breakages, and increasing European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) outbreaks, the latter affecting almost the entire National Park´s territory between 2018 and 2022 and killing almost all adult spruce trees there. At the same time as the European spruce bark beetle plague came to an end, another disturbance event occurred in July 2022 - a large wildfire damaging an area of 1,060 hectares in the town of Hřensko and its part of Mezní Louky area and intensively altered all forms and stages of the forest through which it passed. The unaffected natural processes, which completely prevailed over human interventions, are a significant approximation and, to a large extent, the meeting the National Park´s long-term goal.
Salov T.: Fire Prevention in the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park
The fire that affected the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park (NP, northern Bohemia) in the summer of 2022 raised a number of questions about the extent to which such events can be prevented without detracting from the true purpose of national parks. Over the next three years, the NP´s Administration developed a whole set of measures, combining specific measures in the field, supervision of the National Park territory, preparedness and technological equipment of staff, cooperation with third parties, and communication with, education of and raising awareness among the public. One of the first steps was the removal of dead wood and its transport. An important moment in the development of the further measures was the introduction of the fire prevention officer post. The next step was to improve the availability of water for firefighting in the field, which is naturally poor in water resources. The České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park can look back on a long history of fires. Since its establishment in 2000, there have been more than 80 fires, the vast majority of which were caused by failure to comply with the rules for visiting the National Park. Field staff in particular must have at least basic equipment to help limiting the spread of detected fires. Early detection and accurate location of the fire are absolutely crucial. In addition, since 2025 the Administration has been operating two drone stations located in the field for early fire detection. Internal guidelines have set inspection/checking intervals for the entire road network, including roads not designated for emergency services there. A specially developed mobile app helps firefighters to navigate themselves across the rough terrain. Preventive measures against the outbreak and spread of fire in the natural environment are now at an exceptionally high level in the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park, far exceeding any legal requirements.
Peckert T., Bystřický V. & Blažková Z.: Niva Nemanického potoka/Nemanice Brook Floodplain Site of European Importance/Special Area of Conservation – Cooperation between the Owner, Farmers, and Nature Conservationists Is a Prerequisite for Maintaining High Diversity in Wildlife Communities
The Niva Nemanického potoka/Nemanice Brook Floodplain Site of European Importance (SEI, pursuant to Act No. 114/1992 on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection, as amended later, the term for Site of Community Importance, SCI, later Special Area of Conservation, SAC, under the European Union’s Habitats Directive) is one of the most valuable natural areas in the Český les Mts. Protected Landscape Area (western Bphemia). Its importance is based not only on the extent of its preserved wetland habitats, which harbour specially protected plant species, but also on its diverse bird fauna. In order to preserve its natural values, particularly its high biodiversity, it is necessary to regularly implement appropriate management measures there. Providing proper management is not easy, given the difficult accessibility of the land for conventional agricultural machinery and the State Nature Conservancy specific requirements. The agricultural management in the immediate vicinity of the Nemanický potok/Nemanice Brook floodplain is also crucial due to its impact on the objects of protection. Intensive, good cooperation with the owner is a basic prerequisite for long-term sustainable management. The cooperation has been successful in the area in question for a long time. In 2024, it was declared by the signing of a public law contract between the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic and the landowner.
Moskaljuk P.: Ecosystem Accounting: Services by Pollinators
Our daily lives are fundamentally influenced by the ecosystems around us. If these ecosystems are healthy, they provide us with a wide range of services in return. These include fertile soil, clean air, clean water, and more. Unfortunately, ecosystems have too often been exploited for economic profit, leading to habitat destruction, extensive damage to the biosphere, and other damage to this natural wealth. One of the services addressed in the article is pollination, i.e. the contribution of wild pollinators to the production of cultivated crops. Although we now use pollination managed by beekeepers, wild pollinators have been still providing most of the pollination. In recent decades, the occurrence and diversity of the insect pollinators has declined dramatically. One of the main causes is the high intensification of agriculture, landscape fragmentation, and other changes in the landscape that deprive pollinators of their natural habitat and food. Therefore, there is a need for a detailed statistical assessment (known as ecosystem accounting) based on Eurostat requirements. The analysis focuses on identifying suitable habitats for pollinators and subsequently determining the ecosystems that contribute most to this ecosystem service. Thus, main objective is to find suitable habitats, predict areas without sufficient pollination as well as agricultural yields that can be attributed to the wild pollinator activities. The analysis is based on spatial data from 2023 and uses a combination of QGIS geospatial software tools, the Python programming language, and the Google Earth Engine Code (JavaScript) web environment. All spatial calculations were performed at a raster resolution of 10 × 10 meters, which ensures a high level of detail for spatial interpretation of the results. The outputs show that forest and grassland ecosystems offer the greatest benefit to pollinators.
Hošek J., Kebrle D., Hošková J., Kodet V., Karlík P. & Tenčík A.: Biodiversity in a Commercial Forest: Easy and Quickly?
The article deals with the structure of commercial forests in the Czech Republic and its relationship to biodiversity. The introductory section describes the specific conditions of the temperate forest biome in Central Europe in its geohistorical developmental context. It then analyses the diversity of factors/drivers and complexity of interactions that contribute to the final state of forest biota (living part of an ecosystem), emphasizing the importance of including various spatial and temporal scales in which individual phenomena are studied and interpreted. The significance of various stages in forest development, in the process of natural or economically moderated development, for different biota groups is consequently discussed. The main topic is the presentation of the possibilities of using forest structure indices, which summarize the state of a larger number of structural variables in a single quantitative characteristic. One such index is the FSI (Forest Structure Index, sensu Storch et al. 2018), which has been tested in a modified form on data from the authors´ own multitaxon survey as well as on data from the National Forest Inventory to assess forest structure in Specially Protected Areas in the Czech Republic. In summary, such tools are well suited for assessing the forest habitat quality from the perspective of diverse taxa, comparing different areas, monitoring developments over time, and informing nature-friendly forest management policies and the formulation of instruments to support them.
Vrška T.: Amendment to the Forest Act – Freedom of Choice at Last
On June 26, 2025, the President of the Czech Republic signed an amendment to Forest Act No. 289/1995 Gazette, completing the approval process. This took place 30 years after the current law was passed. Across society and the political range, there was no fundamental doubt about the need to amend the law. The current act was written and adopted at a time when there were concerns about the future state of forests returned by the state in land restitution and redistribution to various owners, both private and public in the Czech Republic. Therefore, it had more stringent parameters, which were strictly based on the age-class forest model as a remnant of real socialism and central planning before 1989. However, the approach has been superseded, inter alia, by the onset of climate change impacts. There are also other reasons, based on a change in society’s view of the expected intangible benefits provided by forests. A significant positive softening of the law is the extension of the period for stand regeneration to 5 years from the current 2 years and the achievement of a secure culture/growth status to 10 years (5+5) from the current 7 years (2+5). Furthermore, the obligation to use the percentages of ameliorative and stabilizing woody plant species prescribed by decree for the regeneration of stands in all forms of non-state ownership has been abolished. The vast majority of foresters and owners have already understood that there is no other way than to move towards mixed stands that are more spatially differentiated. The amendment to the law introduces a payment scheme for ecosystem services, which will motivate forest owners to gradually convert their forests into mixed stands that are structurally and texturally differentiated. This includes e.g. leaving a certain amount of logging residues and trees or parts of trees to decay, allowing grazing in the forest, or building pools or ponds up to 1,000 m2 in the forest without the need for a building permit. Economic and management parameters are also being adjusted, such as replacing the term “degree of stocking” with “crown/canopy density” or changing the rotation period.
Jelínková J.: The Question of the Specificity of the Act on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection in Relation to Other Legal Regulations in the (Most) Recent Case Law
The key provision of Article 90, paragraph 4 of the Act on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection (ANCLP), which established its specificity in relation to forestry, water, construction/building, and other specified laws, had been repealed many years ago. After that, the relationship between conflicting provisions had to be assessed on an ad hoc basis. According to jurisprudence/legal science and case law, a legal norm that has a narrower definition, whether personal or material, can be considered special. Nevertheless, in a specific case, a legal norm may be more general in substance but at the same time having a narrower personal scope. If the relationship between conflicting legal norms cannot be described as a relationship between special and general legal regulations, it is necessary to apply them simultaneously wherever possible. Moreover, regional courts have recently stated that, in relation to the Water Act, the ANCLP is a special legal regulation, arguing that nature conservation and landscape protection is in the public interest, based on the precautionary principle and, of course, the wording of the relevant provisions of both laws. The issue concerned the extension of the validity of water management for a small hydroelectric power plant in a Protected Landscape area and, in the other case, the obligation to ensure a final decision on exemptions under Article 43 and 56 of the ANCLP as a basis for a water management permit. This implies the correct procedure for administrative authorities and courts, which must consider all relevant provisions of the legislation concerned, not limit themselves to a linguistic interpretation of isolated provisions, but strive to find the meaning and purpose of the legislation using other methods of interpretation.
Nagel R.: What is the Voice of the Inhabitants of České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland?
Communication with the public is an essential part of current nature conservation in national parks. It is absolutely crucial to engage in dialogue with local people, not only about the benefits of having a national park, but also about issues that may be perceived as difficulties by locals, e.g. restrictions on access to certain areas, changes in game control, and forest management. During the quarter-century of the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park’s existence, the coexistence of locals with the National Park (NP) has gradually evolved. After an initial phase of mistrust, but also high expectations, the relationship more or less stabilized relatively quickly. Unfortunately, however, after two significant natural events, public trust was undermined, even though neither the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) outbreak nor the extensive forest fire was primarily caused by poor decisions by the NP´s Administration. Fortunately, the trend has been reversed, mainly due to systematic and fact-based communication, supported by a long-term communication strategy. This is also why the National Park Administration decided to conduct a representative public opinion poll. In order for it to be representative, it was necessary to adhere to several basic rules, namely anonymity, a correct and representative sample of the population surveyed, and verification of responses. The results showed that most residents of České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland perceive the National Park as a “good neighbour.” 80% of respondents expressed overall satisfaction with the National Park´s existence, and more than three-quarters of those surveyed also appreciated the contribution of the NP Administration to the protection, conservation and management of local nature. Tourism and the economic opportunities associated with it are cited as the key contribution of the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park. At the same time, however, 77% of respondents believe that nature conservation should take precedence. On the other hand, locals have still been very sensitive to events related to the European spruce bark beetle plague and the fire in 2022. According to almost 75% of respondents, the NP Administration should prioritize ensuring safety on tourist trails/visitor paths, and almost 70% consider fire prevention as a priority.
Moravec J.: Ecology Olympiad Thirty Years Old
In 2025, the Ecology Olympiad has celebrated its 30th anniversary. Over the years, it has come a long way from a local event to a respected national competition. Two issues remain unchanged, distinguishing it from probably all other high school Olympiads – it is a team competition (involving teams of three students) and at the same time, a competition with a strong emphasis on practical skills. From the very beginning, the Ecology Olympiad has been closely linked to the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (CUNC), important NGO dealing with nature and landscape heritage across the country. The competition is based on regional rounds, the winners of which then advance to the national round. These are usually multi-day events consisting of a test, nature component determination task, a practical task followed by a “defence” of the results achieved before a professional jury, and thematic non-competitive activities (lectures, excursions, etc.). The theme of the 30th edition was water. Therefore, the practical tasks in the regional rounds often focused on water retention in the landscape, the quality of water elements, or the water regime of a particular area in general. A total of 484 competitors participated in the Olympiad in 2025. The national round took place in the town of Vlašim (Central Bohemia) on June 5-7, 2025. The winner of the 30th annual Ecology Olympics was a team from the Gymnasium and Vocational School of Pedagogy Liberec, consisting of Eliška Krausová, Jan Činčera, and Jan Beránek. The topics are set several years in advance. Thus, the 31st edition of the competition will focus on climate change mitigation and renewable energy sources, the 32nd edition on invasive alien species, the 33rd edition on forests, and the 34th edition on environmental chemicalization.
Plesník J.: IUCN Published First Global Red List of Ecosystems – Mangroves
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently published the first ever global Red List of Ecosystems. Experts chose specific ecosystems for the list that have been for some time known to be in poor condition overall – mangroves. To undertake a comprehensive global assessment of mangrove ecosystems, it had been essential to establish a manageable number of assessment units that are both meaningful and reflective of the variation in the geographical, abiotic and biotic diversity associated with mangrove ecosystems around the world which were then classified using criteria for classifying ecosystems into Red List categories. Thus, experts clustered the world’s mangrove forests into 36 biogeographical units. The world’s mangrove ecosystems cover currently about 150,000 km2 along mainly tropical, sub-tropical and some warm temperate coasts of the world. About 15% of the world’s coastlines are covered by mangroves. In the past, this unique type of ecosystem was mainly degraded by wood exploitation and the acquisition of new land for agriculture, including shrimp farming. Later, it was the establishment of oil palm plantations and rice fields as main driver of decline in mangroves. The construction of dams altering freshwater and sediment fluxes also contributes to their loss. At present, they are also being affected by climate change, including sea-level rise and an increased frequency and severity of cyclonic storms. The IUCN analysis has confirmed that more than half of the mangroves remaining on Earth have already been at risk of collapse. Mangrove forests are one of the most productive types of ecosystems on Earth, where 90% of all marine organisms spend at least part of their lives. In addition, from an anthropogenic point of view they support the lives of 2.4 billion people living within 100 km of the coast through ecosystem services they provide. ■
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Introductionary photo:
A four-wheel drive vehicle with a firefighting superstructure purchased by the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration helps with firefighting operations in difficult terrain. Photo by Jakub Juda