Description
Czech nature is rich and diverse but also contains many vulnerable species. These species need an active protection. A document called an action plan contains guidelines for nature conservation authorities, researches and owners of land how to maintain endangered species populations. It is a special tool which provides complex knowledge about species and recommends the measures how to support the species The project is about implementation of the measures. The Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is a specially protected species therefor the “Action Plan for Freshwater Pearl Mussel” was prepared in the year 2000 with an update in 2014.The project meets the target of the state environmental policy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020. The main objective of the project is the implementation of the action plan by revitalization of site and monitoring in the Ašsko area, Lužní brook site, one of the three regions of occurrence of the species. The project outcomes are increasing of quality of species environment by revitalization of the site. The project outputs are data from monitoring of building process by bioindications and telemetric measures of different values of environment. Project will also include a publicity part . The target group of the project is primarily species and nature-conservation authorities. Secondarily, the protection and connected activities will carry out awareness-raising in the general public via education.
Summary of project results
The FWPM (Margaritifera margaritifera) is an umbrella species for the conservation of oligotrophic watercourses. It is highly sensitive to disturbed natural processes in the whole catchment area. This makes it an organism whose effective preservation requires the wide participation of the public and stakeholders, especially farmers, forest management staff, fishermen, local governments, etc.) along the entire catchment area where this species occurs. The aim of the proposed measures is to create a parallel waterbed to be used to produce detritus as a suitable food for populations of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel (FWPM) in the Luzni brook, and a renewal of the biotope of the FWPM. By creating the parallel riverbed, the flow-off will become slower and there will be an important improvement in the habitat biodiversity of the Luzni brook stream. Prior to the construction works, enough sunlight must be provided for the site by removing self-seeding tree species and bushes. A suitable grass mixture will be sown along the watercourse to improve the food supply – fine detritus. The newly proposed stream will provide enough quiet zones, pools and fish shelters to increase the rearing capacity for the whole fish fauna, especially for the Freshwater Brown Trout (Salmo trutta morpha fario) which is the host fish for the glochidia of the FWPM. Seven wooden stabilisation reefs will be built on the left-hand tributary in the lower part of the Luzni brook bed, aiming to aerate the water stream in an overfall above the orifice leading into the current bed in order to allow precipitation of ferruginous compounds. Unnamed tributaries on the right-hand bank, originally drainage systems which now work as a replacement for food rills for the FWPM, will be connected to the bed. The original riverbed of the Luzni brook will be left unchanged as a stream for the floodwater to flow off. The division of water between the original riverbed and the new water structure will be provided with a water division structure of a natural character and allowing the discharge to be regulated. The impact of the new works on the habitat quality for the FWPM will be assessed by biological monitoring – bio-indication. Another activity will consist in acquiring and installing stations for remote monitoring of the environment, which is the key factor for the site, considering its remoteness and difficult accessibility.
Summary of bilateral results