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 Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is specially protected species therefor a management-document “Action Plan for Freshwater Pearl Mussel” was prepared in 2000 with an update in 2014. Project meets a target of the state environmental policy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020. The main objective of the project is implementation of the action plan by monitoring and breeding the species in the Ašsko area, one of the three regions of the species occurrence. Species will be monitored in a permanent plots, it will include its semi-natural breeding and also bioindications of environmental quality. Project outcomes are increasing the species population by breeding individuals and broadening knowledge of the status and structure of population in the area. Information regarding aquatic-environment quality as a determinant of the species-existence is another significant outcome. Project outputs will be data from monitoring of permanent plots, data from bioindications: evaluating survival and growth of pearl mussel, invadations of trouts, semi-natural breeding and care of offspring. Project includes publicity. The target group of the project is primarily a species and nature-conservation authorities. Secondarily, the protection and connected activities will carry out the influence over the general public via education. There is a local partner: "Občanské sdružení Ametyst – pobočka Karlovy Vary", who is contributing to the project by its expertness and experiences including human resources and know-how.
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. This project contains specific practical measures which are either crucial to survival of the species or contribute to proper management and development of the action plan. The project is carried out by the Nature conservation agency of the Czech Republic (NCA CR) in cooperation with the NGO Ametyst – pobočka Karlovy Vary. The project includes monitoring of permanent monitoring plots, which allows year-to-year comparisons of population changes in one specific location. It also facilitates the screening of juvenile Freshwater Pearl Mussel (FWPM) from semi-natural breeding cycles, as they are easy to overlook in the diverse watercourse bed due to their size (less than 1 cm). Another measure features semi-natural breeding which helps to directly strengthen the FWPM populations and improve the unsatisfactory age structure of the population. As a subsequent measure, bioindications are used for long-term assessment of changes in the catchment areas. The survival rate and growth of juvenile FWPM from semi-natural breeding is monitored as part of these bioindications. Project Activities: Screening of permanent monitoring plots The monitoring plots on the brook Luzni potok have been screened since 2006, in particular areas each covering 6 sq.m. The counting (census) is made at the beginning and end of the growing season (May to November). Long-term monitoring of specific areas allows the identification of juvenile FWPMs and a year-to-year comparison of population changes in a specific location. Bioindication and Assessment Bio-indications are tests on the biotope quality, carried out by placing the most sensitive developmental stages of juvenile FWPM in a standard plate into the watercourse. Semi-natural breeding of the FWPM.
Summary of bilateral results