Life for the Krkonoše Mountains’ meadows?

LIFE Corcontica!

Basic Information

Coordinating Beneficiary: Krkonoše Mountains National Park Administration Associated Beneficiaries: DAPHNE ČR – Institute of Applied Ecology Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic

Total Budget: € 3, 588, 573 75% co-financed from the LIFE+ Nature 25% co-financed by the project beneficiaries

Period of Realization: 2012 - 2018

The highest mountains of the Czech Republic (up to 200-300 m above the timber-line)

Due to specific geographical position, the area hosts plants both from Northern and Southern

Europe

The Aim of the Project • To maintain or improve a quality of traditionally used mountain

meadows

• to restore 29 enclaves of meadows (species composition as well as structure)

• The area of interest: 425 ha (habitat type 6230*: 215 ha; 6520: 179 ha; 6510: 31 ha)

• Development of farm plans (for above mentioned habitats) introducing suitable management methods for stable or increasing representation of the target species

The Aim of the Project • To put into the practice

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACH (cycle)

Target Habitat Types

6230* - Species-rich Nardus grasslands, on siliceous substrates in mountane areas (and submountane areas, in Continental Europe)

6510 - Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis)

6520 - Mountain hay meadows

Uniqnuess of Krkonoše Mountains

Uniqnuess of Krkonoše Mountains

Uniqnuess of Krkonoše Mountains

1953

Studniční chalets

2013

Selected Enclaves

Deforestation

Rumex alpinus: Cutting and Spraying (RoundUp)

Water Regime Restoration

Farmers: Mowing and Grazing

Example: Achieved in 2014? Restoration management (carried out by the NP)

• restoration of water regime (4,5 km)

• Deforestation (7 ha)

• invasive species regulation (12 ha)

• leveling a surface (0,08 ha)

• stone gathering (4,58 tons)

Regular management (carried out by farmers)

• 330 ha with grazed or mowed

Budget: approx. 185 thousand EURO

Challenges and Questions To Be Discussed

1) How to keep the adaptive management approach when project is finished?

- problem of capacities – monitoring, planning of specific management activities, etc.

2) What a Favourable Conservation Status does mean?

- a difficulty to specify measurable reference values of the FCS for each habitat

Challenges and Questions To Be Discussed

3) Impossible to influence (or modify) agriculture subsidies (often harming the nature) – the main source of finances for farmers

- a current scheme of subsidies does not recognize production meadows apart from semi-natural meadows

- in history, mowing was the main type of management, currently it is substituted by grazing (because of finances)

http://life.krnap.cz

Thank you for attention

© Věra Hadincová