More information
Description
The project aims at recovery of dry secondary grassland and moorland, two waterlogged locations and one locality with an unconnected vegetation cover.These areas of degraded grassland, moorland and springs have preserved several endangered species of plants and animals.The locations have not been regularly cultivated and managed and their scientific value has declined.If there is no management and cultivation of these areas, they will become endangered by extinction, resulting from the change of the current biotope to overgrowing competitive species of grass, trees and bushes which would exterminate the species of plants and animals. The goal is to renew the environmental value of 11 chosen areas and simultaneously optimize conditions for endangered and protected species in these areas, strengthen their population and improve the state of individual biotopes.The project will help to strengthen the population of 21 endangered species of plants and 24 endangered species of animals.
Summary of project results
We focused on the restoration of primarily dry secondary grasslands and heathlands in the ORP area, as well as two waterlogged sites and one area with scattered vegetation cover. These sites had been neglected for a long time, which is one of the main reasons for their endangerment according to the Catalogue of Habitats of the Czech Republic (Chytrý et al. 2010). The project implementation was crucial for protecting ecologically valuable sites and primarily addressed long-term unmanaged natural habitats of the T series (secondary grasslands), including shrub cutting and control of invasive plant species such as reed canary grass.
Our goal was to restore the ecological value of 11 selected sites managed by the Litomyšl Regional Council. We aimed to optimize conditions for endangered, specially protected, or locally rare species, enhance their populations within project areas, and improve the condition of individual habitats where these species reside. As a result of our efforts, populations of 21 endangered plant species and 24 endangered animal species were strengthened.
For the care of individual sites and specific plant or animal species, we conducted the following activities: shrub cutting, mowing of perennial grasslands, mechanical and manual disturbance of sward, pond dredging, and seeding of marsh thistle.
Our partnership with UPOL included year-round inventory monitoring of butterflies (Rhopalocera) and bumblebees (Bombus spp.) at all eleven experimental sites. This monitoring allowed us to record the responses of vegetation and communities of butterflies and bumblebees to our new methods of maintaining non-forest areas.
Our team from Česká krajina o.p.s. conducted monitoring focused on assessing the impact of implemented management measures on target sites as specified in the project documentation. We monitored amphibians and reptiles at selected sites and mapped selected vascular plant species. We also conducted phytocenological surveys on permanent monitoring plots at all sites at least once a year. Additionally, we performed geoinformation mapping of management interventions implemented at the target sites.
The project was important in terms of maintaining local populations of endangered plant and animal species in habitats that were significantly threatened by ecological degradation or complete extinction. In terms of the species monitored, it can be stated that at the end of the project, all endangered plant species targeted by the project were found on the sites, mostly in enhanced populations compared to the baseline. In addition, after the implementation of the measures, mostly in the last year of the project, 9 new threatened species were inventoried at the sites. 12 threatened butterfly species were known from the sites, of which three species could not be identified by monitoring, but 4 new threatened species were identified for the sites, Similarly, new threatened reptile and amphibian species were identified at the sites. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the project has met its objectives and prevented the extinction or extirpation of local populations of endangered species. In order to maintain the positive impact of the implemented interventions on endangered species in the long term, it is necessary to continue the care of the sites, not only during the sustainability of the project, but also afterwards. With continued care as recommended in the final monitoring reports, further improvement of the condition of these habitats, strengthening of populations of threatened species and also new discoveries of additional threatened species can be expected.