XXI International School of Karst Areas Nature Protection in Czech Republic

Piotr Niedbał (Złoty Potok refugium and GIS specialist) together with a few members of the Silesian Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex staff took part in the XXI International School of Karst Areas Nature Protection in Svaty Jan Pod Skalou near Beroun in Czech Republic between 25^th and 27^th June 2014.

Svaty Jan Pod Skalou

CHKO Cesky Kras (protected landscape area – similar to Polish landscape park) was established in 1972. It covers the area of 130 km² including 2 national nature reserves, 4 national nature monuments, 8 nature reserves and 6 nature monuments. The area is constituted mainly of Paleozoic Silurian and Devonian layers, represented mostly by marine sediments of shale, limestone and limestone shale. Fossil discoveries here are significant on a global scale and a few world statotypes can be found here.

Old limestone excavation spot filled with ground water

On the first day of the XXI International School of Karst Areas Nature Protection the participants visited the Zlaty kun national nature reserve. They investigated the geological structure of the area, visited a cave exposed due to limestone exploitation and saw the grasslands in the high parts of the mountains.

Dripstone forms in the cave

On the second day the participants from Silesian Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex went to CHKO Českéstředohoří 80 km away from CHKO Cesky Kras. This territory is characterized by stenothermic steppe plant communities and debris plant communities with a few dozens of species considered endangered both in Czech Republic and internationally. The visit to the Central Bohemian Uplands provided a possibility for our staff (staff ofSilesian Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex) to familiarize with numerous actions of active protection realized by CHKO Českéstředohoří within the framework of their projekt LIFE+: LIFE09 NAT/CZ/000363.

Feather grass (Stipa pennata) – a xerothermic species

Sheep grazing – one of the project actions of active protection of semi-dry grasslands

On the third day the participants visited the mining drift near Svaty Jan Pod Skalou. The drift was sunk due to limestone exploitation. The miners often found caves while sinking the drifts which created many obstacles in exploitation. After the exploitation had been ceased the dripstones appeared in various places and due to the growing level of the ground water some of the excavation sites became filled with water creating beautiful bodies of water surrounded by limestone walls.

Drift sunk due to limestone exploitation

At the end of the last day of the XXI International School of Karst Areas Nature Protection our staff member presented the objectives and actions of the project "Protection of valuable natural non-forest habitats typical of the Orle Gniazda Landscape Park" realized by the Silesian Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex. After the dinner the participants went home.