ZLV Online

Abstract

In order to contribute to the optimization of forest management in the interest of biodiversity protection, we performed an analysis of the list of plant species specially protected by Czech legislation. The main goal of the study was to evaluate the importance of the forest for protected plant species, assess their environmental requirements, compare forest and non-forest species in the examined parameters and define the main needs of forest-related taxa in relation to forest management. The values of the analyzed variables were extracted mainly from the database of the Czech flora PLADIAS. The study showed that forest ecosystems are an important type of environment for specially protected plant species, although there are about twice as many non-forest protected species. Protected forest species are generally more common than non-forest species, they belong to lower categories of protection, and are less demanding on moisture and more demanding on nutrients (i.e. they are less oligotrophic) compared to ecological requirements of non-forest protected species. However, they are also sensitive to the eutrophication of the environment, which threatens especially during intensive management or overpreservation. Forest taxa are logically more shade-tolerant than non-forest taxa, but they show considerable variability in their shade tolerance. Most (almost 77%) forest protected plant species show a link to the forest environment without a closed tree layer. Protected plant species in the Czech Republic (forest and non-forest) are more associated with the lowlands (thermophytic), but for non-forest species, a group of species associated with the alpine stage is also apparent. The findings show the need for management to strive for greater diversity and variability of the forest environment, especially in terms of variability of light conditions, the existence of open forests and finer transitions between forest and open land, primarily in the lowlands. It is therefore appropriate to pay more attention to lowland forests, even from the perspective of territorial nature protection. Forest management should avoid intensive interventions in forest ecosystems (unnatural wood composition, clear-cutting with subsequent planting of dense stands etc.). The analysis of the frequency of occurrence of protected species, as well as their endangered categories according to the Red List, showed the continuing relevance of the current list of specially protected species because protected species are indeed mostly endangered and rare. It is appropriate to supplement the list rather than revise it completely.