The present day cultural landscape of Europe is comprised of an ecological network of corridors and core areas (biocentres). This article proposes the use of umbrella species to define the target state of an ecosystem in a floodplain biocentre of the European Ecological Network. The umbrella species used were chosen to represent typical bird species of forested floodplains. Case studies were developed in the Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area, a Bird Area in the Czech Republic.