Natura 2000 sites as a crucial part of nature conservation? An analysis of landscape development in selected areas of the Czech Republic

The Natura 2000 network is the key tool for preserving biodiversity in the EU. However, such a system of territorial protection is under increasing anthropogenic pressure and sites with no national designation are managed rather insufficiently across Europe. Therefore, we investigated six selected large areas consisting of Natura 2000 sites in the Czech Republic, which are not designated as national large-scale protected areas, analysed their landscape development over the last 70 years, and considered their suitability for establishment as national protected areas. All studied Natura 2000 sites have suitable conditions to become national protected areas; lower anthropogenic pressure than in current nationally protected areas and also natural and close-to-natural land cover in the vast majority of the areas. Moreover, designation of these areas as nationally protected areas could contribute significantly to ensuring connectivity between protected areas and could enhance proper management of the areas, which is especially needed in some valuable but vulnerable regions.