Volume 9 (2016): Issue 2 (November 2016)

The idea that landscape fulfils many different functions and provides multiple benefits for human society is gaining strength. This new vision of landscape changes both, the interests and the needs of the persons involved and the use and management of the landscape itself. The objective of this paper is to study landscape conservation in a particular mountainous area of Italy, which requires an institutional, non-generic approach. Using the contingent valuation method, we investigated whether there is a relationship between experts’ and casual observers’ evaluations of ten different scenarios in the Leno Valleys. Results show that direct knowledge of the site characteristics increases the awareness of the importance of the site, significantly impacting on conservation choices and strategies.

Kettle holes are small depressional wetlands and because of the high variability of site factors they are potential hotspots of biodiversity in the monotone arable land. We investigated eight kettle holes and two agrarian reference biotopes for carabid beetles and spiders. The animals were captured with pitfall traps from May to August 2005, along with surveys of the soil and vegetation. We asked whether each kettle hole has specific ecological properties which match with characteristic carabid beetle and spider coenoses and whether they represent isolated biotopes. Differences in the composition of ecological and functional groups of carabid beetles and spiders between the plots were tested with an ANOVA. The impact of the soil variables and vegetation structure on the distribution of species was analyzed with a Redundancy Analysis. The assemblage similarities between the kettle hole plots were calculated by the Wainstein-Index. Ecological groups and habitat preferences of carabid beetles had maximal expressions in seven different kettle holes whereas most of the ecological characteristics of the spiders had maximal expression in only two kettle holes. High assemblage similarity values of carabid beetle coenoses were observed only in a few cases whereas very similar spider coenoses were found between nearly all of the kettle holes. For carabid beetles, kettle holes represent much more isolated habitats than that for spiders. We concluded that kettle holes have specific ecological qualities which match with different ecological properties of carabid beetles and spiders and that isolation effects affect carabid beetles more than spiders.

The aim of the study is to assess potential impact of construction of the Danube - Oder - Elbe (DOL) water canal on populations of vertebrate species - amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals - and present using these species as bioindicators on landscape level. For analysis of the data, the canal route was divided into smaller sections which were assessed separately. The following criteria were analysed: 1) current occurrence of target vertebrate species, 2) identification of species affected by canal construction, including evaluation of their numbers, 3) identification of affected species protected by Czech legislation, 4) identification of affected species protected by EU legislation, 5) impact assessment of the DOL project on Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), 6) data synthesis and impact assessment of the DOL vertebrates in the particular catchment areas. It is apparent that the most important negative impacts on vertebrate populations and their habitats in case of implementation of the DOL plan can be expected in the following sections of the Morava river: Hodonín - Břeclav, Kroměříž - Otrokovice, Veselí na Moravě - Hodonín, Troubky - Kroměříž, Doubravice - Střelice; of the Oder river: Jeseník nad Odrou - Ostrava, Ostrava - state border; and of the Elbe river: Česká Třebová - Pardubice. In case of construction of the DOL canal, disturbance, damage or loss of vertebrate habitats will occur at least at 6 out of 9 studied sections in the Morava catchment area, at 3 of 4 sections in the Oder catchment area and at 2 of 3 sections in the Elbe catchment area.

The current concept of rangeland condition is faced with many problems that make it difficult for managers to apply. The concept is based on climax theory, which itself has been criticised by many scientists, as it also fails to reflect the real status of rangelands based on all the functions and benefits that they are able to provide. Considering the objectives of rangeland management, a new concept of rangeland condition based on ecological and economic criteria (ECEA) is suggested in this article. In this concept, rangeland condition is achieved as ‘the ratio of current benefits of a rangeland to the operation costs for its ecological restoration (to the extent that the most sustainable benefits provided). Furthermore, based on this new concept an equation is developed for quantitative measurement of the rangeland condition. We believe that this new concept can solve many problems around the existing concept of rangeland condition.

The sprouting capacity of some broadleaves has been used for their regeneration since ancient times. Often concurrently with taking advantage of sprouting stools, the trees used to be shaped also by pruning their stems, namely on pasturelands and in grazing forests. The activity of woodcutters and shepherds was obviously rather common in warmer climates with broadleaved stands because coppice and pollard trees appear relatively often in the visual arts from ancient works through the period if the Italian and German Renaissance up to the romantic and realistic landscape painting of the 19^th century overlapping into the 20^th century. For centuries, most frequently illustrated in European and Czech paintings have been pollard willows (Salix spp.). Other coppice and pollard tree species identified in paintings are oaks (Quercus spp.), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), European chestnut (Castanea sativa), and rarely other species, too. Artists apparently often used bizarrely shaped woods to increase the dramatic atmosphere of their landscape sceneries as well as figural compositions, and the coppice and pollard trees had certainly also a symbolic meaning in some of their works.