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Important Plant Areas of Czech Republic

Number of IPAs:75
Area of IPAs: 146,051 hectares

Czech Republic covers 78,864 km2 

Turquois lake with trees around and mountain as backdrop

There is a total of 75 IPAs in the Czech Republic, covering 146,051 hectares, which are distributed in the different biogeographic zones: Continental 63, Pannonic 10, both 2.

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 part of the Czech Republic belongs to the Bohemian Highlands, the east belongs to the west Carpathians.

Biogeographic Zones

There are two biogeographic zones, with most of the country covered by the continental zone, and a small part in the southeast by the Pannonian zone. The Czech Republic has an agricultural and industrial landscape that has been altered considerably by human activity since the Neolithic. Agricultural lands cover 54% of the country and forests 33%, most of which are Norway spruce and Scot’s pine plantations. The flora is relatively diverse due to environmental conditions. The best-preserved and most valuable natural areas are preserved by a dense network of protected areas.

Habitats

Grassland habitats occur within the majority of IPAs and cover an area of 18,924 ha. Forest occurs within 67 IPAs and covers the largest area of all the IPA habitats with 94,610 ha. Other habitats such as heathland and scrub, inland surface water, mires, bogs and fen, inland unvegetated or sparse vegetation, cultivated habitats and constructed habitat are relatively rare. Nature conservation activities, recreation and tourism and forestry are the most significant land uses. Mowing and haymaking, animal grazing and wild plant gathering is recorded significantly less.

Threats

The IPAs on non-forest lands such as meadows, steppes and wetlands are threatened primarily by neglected cultivation or complete land abandonment, as well as an increasing level of nutrients resulting in the decline of some plant species. Forest habitats are primarily threatened by intensive, commercial forest management, except for some primeval forests in strictly protected nature reserves. A considerable area of forest is also threatened by air pollution which makes the forests less vital and more susceptible to insect-damage. A large number of IPAs are impacted by tourism.

Relevant publication:

Important Plant Areas in Central and Eastern Europe

Pages 38 – 42

IPA data

Czech Republic IPA data