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Czech Republic

75 IPAs were identified in the Czech Republic and the results published in regional and national publications.

The Czech Republic covers an area of 78,864 km2 in the centre of Europe, and is bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The western and central parts lie in the Bohemian Highlands, the east to the west in the Carpathians.

There are two biogeographic zones with most of the country covered by the continental zone, and a small part in the south east by the Pannonian. There is a temperate continental climate, with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy and snowy winters. The temperature difference between summer and winter is relatively high, due to the landlocked geographical position.

The Czech Republic has an agricultural and industrial landscape that has been altered considerably by human activity since Neolithic times. Agricultural lands cover 54% of the country and forests 33%, most of which are Norway spruce and Scots pine plantations. The flora is relatively diverse due to environmental conditions, and includes approximately 30,000 fungi species, 2,520 vascular plants and 1,400 lichens. The best preserved and most valuable natural areas are covered by a dense network of protected areas which make up16.6% of the state territory. The Natura 2000 network currently covers 13.5% of the country.

75 IPAs have been identified in the Czech Republic, covering a total area of 146,051 ha. Grassland habitats occur on the most (68) and cover an area of 18,924 ha. Forest occurs on 67 and is the predominating habitat on all IPAs with 94,610 ha (56% broadleaf and 44% coniferous). Other habitats such as heathland and scrub (4,414 ha), inland surface water (2,549 ha), mires, bogs and fen (1,356 ha), inland unvegetated areas or with sparse vegetation (1,092 ha), cultivated habitats (3,427 ha) and constructed or artificial habitat (1,739 ha) are relatively rare. Nature conservation activities occur on 50 IPAs and recreation and tourism is recorded for 42. Forestry is a significant land use, occurring at 44 IPAs. Mowing and haymaking occur at 28 IPAs, animal grazing at 16 and wild plant gathering recorded at 10.

Most IPAs are located in specially protected areas, or protected areas cover a major or minor part of their area. In total 84% of the area of IPAs is covered by existing protected areas, and 81% is covered by SACs in the Natura 2000 network. In existing protected areas, and very soon in the Natura 2000 sites, IPA management is relatively well assured. Only a few IPAs currently have no legal protection and efforts will be made to achieve protection as soon as possible, using their IPA status as a tool.

The IPAs on non-forest lands are threatened primarily by neglected cultivation or complete land abandonment. This applies not only to meadows and steppes, but also to wetland habitats. Most non-forest habitats are also threatened by an increasing eutrophication resulting in a decline in oligotrophic plant species and communities. Eutrophication also affects habitats that historically required no management intervention, e.g. some bogs and fens are being vegetated by reed and woody plants.

Invasive plant and animal species, agricultural intensification, fisheries, and natural disasters currently present only limited threats to IPAs on non-forested land. Forest habitats are primarily threatened by intensive, commercial forest management, with the exception of some primeval forests in strictly protected nature reserves. A considerable area of forest is also threatened by atmospheric emissions: air pollution makes the forests less vital and more susceptible to insect-damage. A considerable number of IPAs are located in regions that are very attractive for tourism, and tourist activity needs to be regulated. Some threats, which have been significant in the past (e.g. peat mining, habitat drainage), currently have a low or negligible impact on IPAs.

Fact-sheets on the Czech IPAs are available on the IPA Online Database.

References:

• ČEŘOVSKÝ J. PODHAJSKá Z. & TURAŇOVá D., 2007. Botanicky významná území České Republiky. AOPK Czech Republic, Praha.

Coordinating organization:

• AOPK Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic