Description
One of the country's vulnerable species is the European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus). An action plan for the species was prepared in 2007 as part of protection measures. This action plan contributes to the targets set in he state environmental policy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020. Over the past 60 years there has been a massive decline in the European Ground Squirrel in the Czech Republic. In 2015 the incidence of European Ground Squirrel was confirmed in only 35 localities. The greatest impact on the negative frequency of the syllables was the transformation of the landscape and the farming method and genetic isolation of the colonies. The main objective of the project is the implementation of the action plan by management of grasslands in the area of willage Velká Dobrá, one of the areas of the species occurrence. The species thrives best in open grassland landscapes, including steppe and pasture lands. The project outcome will focus on increasing the quality of species habitat through regular management of grasslands in the Velká Dobrá area. The species' grassland habitats need regular maintenance as it favors short grass heights. The target group of the project is primarily species and nature-conservation authorities. Appropriate management for the European Ground Squirrelis to maintain a short grassland (ideally not exceeding 15 cm in height over the seasonal activity of these animals). If the grass is over 15cm, the animals will lose sight of the surrounding environment and become very vulnerable to predators. Secondarily, the protection and connected activities will carry out awareness-raising in the general public via education. There’s no project partner from donor countries, only a local partner – the Municipality of Velká Dobrá. The partner is contributing to the project through its expertise and experiences, including human resources and know-how.
Summary of project results
The European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is one of several protected species in the Czech Republic. An action plan for the species was prepared in 2007 as part of protection measures. This action plan contributes to the targets set in he state environmental policy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020. The project objective was the implementation of the action plan by management of grasslands in the area of willage Velká Dobrá, one of the habitat areas of the species occurrence. The project outcome is increasing of the quality of species habitat. The European Ground Squirrel prefers sward heights of 2-15 cm and regular maintenance of its grassland habitats is therefore crucial to ensure the optimal living conditions for the species. As part of the project the grasslands in the Velká Dobrá area are regularly mowed and maintained using quality equipment and also European ground squirrel feeding was carried out within the project. Information boards have been created that have been deployed around the airport. The project habitat area was 27.5 ha. According to self-monitoring and observation sites made on 15 May 2016, at least 24 individual European Ground Squirrel were counted, together with 32 hiding burrows. Thanks to the purchasing the tractor and the powerful mower, the height of the grass is kept steady for 15 cm and can be maintained for the next few years
Summary of bilateral results