The Agency for

Nature Conservation and

Landscape Protection of the CR

2009

;

Experience in Landscape Connectivity Management in the Czech Republic

Václav Hlaváč

& Jan Plesník

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPLEMENTATION EC CONFERENCE 19 NOVEMBER 2010, Brussels

WhyWhy a a GreenGreen InfrastructureInfrastructure??

Polyfunctionality of the Green Infrastructure:• Climate change –

a green infrastructure can mitigate negative impacts

•

Ecosystem services –

heavily

fragmented landscape has not been able to provide humans with critical services

(e.g., pollination, regulating

services)

Loss of landscape connectivity:

A new

serious

threat

to further survival

of

many

wildlife

species

Changes in nature conservation approaches:

Species protection → Habitat conservation → Managing the connectivity

TSES –

national

ecological

network

In the Czech Republic, a multi-level ecological network, called the Territorial System of Ecological Stability of the Landscape (TSES), has been developing since the late 1970s and the 1980s

TSES - definitionThe Territorial System of Ecological Stability of the The Territorial System of Ecological Stability of the Landscape, Landscape, as defined in Act No. 114/1992 Gazette, is a as defined in Act No. 114/1992 Gazette, is a mutually interconnected complex of both natural and mutually interconnected complex of both natural and semisemi--natural ecosystems that maintain them healthy. Its natural ecosystems that maintain them healthy. Its main purpose is to support ecological stability in the main purpose is to support ecological stability in the landscape by conservation or restoration of ecosystems landscape by conservation or restoration of ecosystems and their mutual interconnection.and their mutual interconnection.

TSES TSES ElementsElements::

BiocentreBiocentre (core area)(core area) .... is an area, which, due is an area, which, due to its condition and scope, supports natural to its condition and scope, supports natural or semior semi--natural ecosystemnatural ecosystemss..

Ecological corridorEcological corridor ....is an area supporting is an area supporting wildlife species moving among various wildlife species moving among various biocentresbiocentres, establishing a network of , establishing a network of interconnected interconnected biocentresbiocentres..

Interaction elementInteraction element ....is a landscape segment, is a landscape segment, which, at the local level, mediates the which, at the local level, mediates the favorable effect of main TSES elements favorable effect of main TSES elements ((biocentresbiocentres and ecological corridors) on and ecological corridors) on surrounding less stable landscape.surrounding less stable landscape.

Three

levels

of

the

TSES:

1.

LocalWithin the area of a municipality

(in charge of local authorities/governments)

Within the territory of the whole country(in charge of the Ministry of the Environment)

2. Regional

= Subnational

3.

Supraregional

=National

and

Above

Within the area of the region(in charge of regional authorities/governments)

Legally, the TSES plan is an obligatory

background for:

••

llandand

use/territorial planning use/territorial planning ••

forest management plansforest management plans

••

water management documents water management documents ••

other documents regarding protection and other documents regarding protection and restoration of the landscaperestoration of the landscape

TSES as an

Instrument for Establishing and

Managing

New

Corridors:

Implementation

of TSES into land-use/territorial

plans as well as subvention

programmes/subsidiary

schemes

(EU or

national

funds)

allow to build

new segments of „green infrastructure“

Foto: Petr Slavík

Implementation

of

„Green

Infrastructure“ in the

Czech

Republic

in 2008-2010

Type of

measures Number

of projects

Costs/EUR/

Flood

control 95 39 mil

River

restoration, water

retention 1,319 344

mil

Erosion

control

measures, biocorridors

of

TSES 338 41

mil

Urban greenery 872 160 mil

Flood

Control, River

Restoration, Water

Retention

Erosion

/ Land

Degradation

Control

X

Foto: Petr Slavík

LossLoss

ofof

LandscapeLandscape

ConnectivityConnectivity

–– LossLoss

ofof

BiodiversityBiodiversity

isolationisolation ofof populationpopulationlossloss ofof geneticgenetic diversitydiversitysmallsmall isolatedisolated populationspopulations are not are not ableable to to survivesurvive underundercurrentcurrent disturbancesdisturbances as as climateclimate changeschanges, , traffictraffic, , invasiveinvasive alienalien species species introductionintroduction, , etcetc. .

obrázek

X

WhyWhy LandscapeLandscape

PermeabilityPermeability??

Increase in builtIncrease in built--up up areas including urban areas including urban sprawlsprawlIntensification of Intensification of agricultural production agricultural production Increasing transport Increasing transport infrastructure densityinfrastructure density

→Fragmentation of the landscape, habitats and populations

Development

of

Landscape

Fragmentation1980 2005 2025

0

102030

405060

708090

100

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

2000

Number of the areas unfragmented

by traffic

is

going

to

decline

by 30%

over the period

1980-2025 !!!

A new project aiming at identification of real migration and dispersal corridors for

large mammals

started in 2007(The Czech Council for Research, Development and

Innovations

Project No. 2d4/36/08)

MainMain GoalsGoals::

To maintain favourable To maintain favourable conditions for longconditions for long--term term survival of the target survival of the target speciesspecies

To maintain favourable To maintain favourable conditions for longconditions for long--term term survival of many other survival of many other wildlife species wildlife species connected with natural connected with natural forest ecosystemsforest ecosystems

Background information for identification of migration corridors

Field verification of real permeability of all migration corridors !!!

Legal Status of Corridors:Legal Status of Corridors:

Obligatory basis for landObligatory basis for land useuse/territorial/territorial planningplanning

Incorporation of the migration corridors into the Incorporation of the migration corridors into the TTSES SES (having been discussed at the moment)(having been discussed at the moment)

§§§

§§§

Interconnection of Ecological Interconnection of Ecological Network in Central EuropeNetwork in Central Europe

ANCLP CR –

www.nature.czVáclav Hlaváč

&

Jan PlesníkHusova 2115, CZ-580 01 Havlíčkův Brod;

HQ Nuselská

39, CZ-140 00 Praha 4vaclav.hlavac@nature.cz;

jan.plesnik@nature.cz

THE AGENCY FOR NATURE CONSERVATION AND LANDSCAPE PROTECTION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Thank you for your attention