Localities for the Final International Conference of the One Nature Project (LIFE IP: N2K Revisited)
1. České středohoří Protected Landscape Area – Brník Site
The Brník site is part of the special area of conservation Oblík – Srdov – Brník (CZ0424039). The site includes areas managed as wood pasture (or silvopasture), where the natural habitat Galio-Carpinetum oak-hornbeam forests (habitat code 9170) occurs.
The forest is managed using grazing by sheep and goats, forming a so-called wood pasture. The managed area has been gradually expanding and currently covers approximately 4 hectares. In previous years, the site was prepared through selective felling and veteranisation (creation of tree trunks / snags) of mature trees.
The purpose of these measures is to increase light availability in the forest and to create suitable conditions for the development of the herb layer and for the natural regeneration of trees, especially oak.
Veteranisation is a special management intervention in which the primary crown of selected trees is removed, creating so-called tree trunks or monoliths. As they gradually decay, these structures become valuable habitats themselves. Removing a substantial part of the crown also increases light penetration to the forest floor, which in turn enhances plant species diversity.
A wood pasture represents a combination of pastureland and freely growing, often large and robust trees. It provides suitable conditions for species associated not only with open habitats such as grasslands, meadows, or steppes, but also with individual trees and forest environments.
The site is managed by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, Administration of the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area. The land is owned by the Municipality of Libčeves, which also actively participates in the implementation of management measures.
2. Karlštejn National Nature Reserve – Vysoká stráň Site
The Vysoká stráň site is part of the special area of conservation Karlštejn – Koda (CZ0214017) and is also located within the Karlštejn National Nature Reserve. The site includes areas managed as coppice forest, where the natural habitat Galio-Carpinetum oak-hornbeam forests (habitat code 9170) occurs.
Historical records show that coppicing was a commonly used forest management system in the Bohemian Karst region in the past. Since 2019, efforts have been underway to restore this traditional and formerly widespread method of forest management. The site serves to test the feasibility of reintroducing historical management practices using natural regeneration of trees, both from seeds and from coppice shoots and root suckers.
The main objective is to support populations of light-demanding and thermophilous plant and insect species associated with forests and forest landscapes, and to enhance overall biodiversity through small-scale forest opening in short cycles of approximately five years. These forms of management, together with other measures, are believed to be largely responsible for the persisting species-rich character of local forests.
Nature reserves within the Český kras Protected Landscape Area are managed by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, Administration of the Český kras Protected Landscape Area.
Forestry operations at this site were carried out by the state enterprise Forests of the Czech Republic, Forest Administration Křivoklát.
