Project title:

Protection of priority grassland habitats in the SCIs of the South Moravian Region

You can see the status of the project activities here:
September 2019 - December 2021

January - May 2022

Photodocumentation of work progress 2020-2023:

Restoration management of grassland habitats 

Restoration of grassland habitats by reintroduction of grazing

Restoration management of forest habitats

Sustainable grassland and forest-steppe management 

Grassland and forest-steppe habitats in the South Moravian region of Czechia suffer from overgrowth, often by invasive alien plant species, due to land abandonment or inappropriate management. Project LIFE SouthMoravia will improve the conservation status of five priority and one nonpriority habitats of the Habitats Directive:

*6240 Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands
*6250 Pannonic loess steppic grasslands
6210 Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) - *important orchid sites
*6110 Rupicolous calcareous or basophilic grasslands of the Alysso-Sedion albi
*91H0 Pannonian woods with Quercus pubescens
*91I0 Euro-Siberian steppic woods with Quercus spp

The project will build on previous LIFE project work, but on a much larger scale and with improved approaches involving grazing and eco-tourism to make the outcomes more sustainable. A fundamental objective is to develop a comprehensive system of habitat management by reintroducing traditional farming practices, particularly grazing, at the lowest possible cost.

The LIFE SouthMoravia project has received funding from the LIFE programme of the European Union.

Project acronym: LIFE SouthMoravia
Project duration: 1 September 2019 – 31 December 2025
Total budget: € 1,320,000

• EU contribution: € 990,000

Coordinating beneficiary

• Základní organizace Českého svazu ochránců přírody ONYX (Local chapter of Czech Union for Nature Conservation ONYX)

Associated beneficiaries

• Botanický ústav Akademie věd ČR, v. v. i. (Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, p.r.i.)
• Junák – český skaut, Kaprálův mlýn, z.s. (Junák - Czech Scouting, Kaprálův mlýn, z.s.)
• Základní organizace Českého svazu ochránců přírody Vlašim (Basic organisation of the Czech Conservationist Association Vlašim)

Two focal points were set up for questions from the public and experts - one in South Moravia and the other in Central Bohemia. 

The main objective

• improving the conservation status of 5 priority habitats, partly 1 non-priority, in 7 SCIs
• creating a comprehensive system of habitat care
• securing significant socio-economic benefits from restoring sustainable grazing
• contributing to development of sustainable tourism with active participation of local communities
• increasing the competitiveness of local farmers
• demonstrating and replicating new solutions in the region.

The key actions

• restoration of degraded grassland habitats (removing shrubs, preparing sites for long-term management)
• restoring extensive grazing as the most suitable way of long-term management
• building a functional volunteer system of regular annual volunteering of Czech and foreign participants
• implementation of a set of awareness raising actions among public and the key stakeholders – seminars, trips
• workshops for raising crucial skills, competitiveness and motivation of local people.

Expected impacts

• improvement of the state of protection in 7 SCIs 
• ensuring recovery management of 133 ha
• ensuring sustainable grazing of 44 ha
• eradication of plants „Isatis tinctoria“ of 23 ha
• involvement of 5 local entities in SCIs
• creation of a volunteer system -  at least 300 volunteers, 3 non-project partners
• creation and distribution of 15 types of printed outputs
• creation of 7 small infrastructure objects for routing site visitors
• 7 local entities using the outputs of friendly tourism
• training of 7 local guides.

Sustainability

Restoration of grassland and forest habitat management

• most of these measures are one-off or short-term activities
• grazing of about 30% of the area will also be overseen by volunteers
• mowing will be funded from the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic with help of volunteers.

Restoration of grassland habitats by reintroduction of grazing

• is expected to be sustainable before the end of the project
• grazing can be supported by agricultural subsidies or by the NCA CR, South Moravia Region Authority.

Ongoing activities within The LIFE communication plan

• project website, printed outputs for download in electronic form
• social networks, information line
• working groups for selected sub-topics covered in the project.

In the introductory photo is Adonis vernalis from the site Žehuňsko.

Contacts

PROJECT MANAGER:

Ing. Ivana Mariánková

tel.: +420 737 505 288, e-mail: ivana.mariankova@gmail.com

PR MANAGER:

Mgr. Pavel Pechoušek 

tel: +420 733 671 784, e-mail: pavel.pechousek@email.cz 

SITE MANAGER:

Ing. Vilém Jurek

tel.: +420 605 526 958, e-mail: vilem.j@gmail.com