Description
Need for the project is based on two fundamental aspects. The first is the practical application and implementation of methods for the assessment of the recreational potential restoration of river flows, and the second is to expand awareness of the watershed ecosystem services segments. The overall aim is to increase knowledge and awareness about the importance of forest functions in the landscape and wilderness riverbeds in the urban environment as a part of the watershed ecosystem services. The main outputs will be professional publications, international scientific conferences, professional seminars and thematic exhibitions of photographs. The project addresses various target groups, including public administration staff, seniors, students and school children, research workers and the general public. The project has no Donor partner; however, the Mendel University in Brno has been engaged in active long-term cooperation with the Norwegian University of Life Science not only in the context of the EEA Grants but also in the context of the Erasmus project etc. This cooperation will be further widened and deepened thanks to the project implementation.
Summary of project results
The need to implement the project was based on two crucial aspects. The first was the practical application and the introduction of a method for assessing the recreational potential of revitalized river flows. The second was to increase awareness of ecosystems services in open landscapes (forest functions) and in intravilanes (rivers). The benefits of the project can be summarized as follows: 1) Raising public awareness of the principle of ecosystem services and its importance for use in practice. Achieved and further achieved through - professional seminars, lectures, excursions and distribution of publication outputs; 2) Establishing contacts and cooperation with relevant and research institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad through scientific conferences, distribution of publication outputs and other presentations of the project and its results in other conferences and seminars; 3) Creation of publication outputs and excursion routes that extend the tools to promote awareness of ecosystem services in the Czech Republic overall 4) Support awareness of the importance of the Forestry Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny to support ecosystem services in general; 5) Creating study materials for Mendel students. Overall, the benefits can be evaluated as corresponding expectations - all the assumptions have been created to disseminate awareness of the significance of ecosystem services assessments, and platforms for further cooperation for the development of this instrument in the Czech Republic have been established.
Summary of bilateral results