National Id
Czech_03
Site name
Sumava National Park
Summary
The project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment involves a mire restoration program in the Sumava National Park, Czech Republic, The aim was the raise of the water table to a natural (per-drainage) level, decrease the fluctuations, and retain sufficient water in the mires especially during the driest periods. To make it possible, the activities carried out were restoration of natural (or near-natural) mire hydrology, enhancement of peat-forming vegetation and processes, conservation of natural mire biodiversity and involvement of the public into local mire conservation.
Light or indepth?
Light
NUTS Code
Jihozápad
RBD code
CZ_5000
Transboundary
0
Data provider
REC
Source(s)
Ecological restoration in Czech Republic
Restoration of Drained Mires (Å umava National Park, Czech Republic)
NWRM(s) implemented in the case study
Removal of dams and other longitudinal barriers
Longitude
13.5186
Latitude
49.0183
Mean rainfall
1275
Mean rainfall unit
mm/year
Average temperature
3,20000004768372
Average runoff coefficient
0,100000001490116
Type
Case Study Info
Average slope range
<2
Vegetation class
Bogs with dwarf shrub, lawn and hollow vegetation surrounded by Pinus xpseudopumilio krummholz, bog pine forests on valley bogs, transitional mires, spruce mires, waterlogged spruce forests.
Monitoring impacts effects
1
Monitoring parameters
main cations and anions (SO4, NO3, NH4, PO4, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, pH, conductivity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
Performance impact estimation method
Catchment outlet
Performance impact estimation information
Water table measured manually in all boreholes at nearly fortnight intervals. Automatic gauging(at 1h intervals) by piezometers was used in a selected 49 boreholes. Water samples from boreholes, ditches, runoff profiles from drained sites and samples from streams were taken monthly for a detailed hydrochemical analysis, including content of main cations and anions, pH, conductivity and DOC. Runoff from drained sites as well as amount of precipitation were measuered continualy.
Application scale
Field Scale
Installation date
2008
Area (ha)
500
Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha)
500
Size
60
Size unit
km
Design capacity description
19 sites, nearly 60km of blocked ditches
Favourable preconditions
Former mire
Public consultation
1
Design contractual arrangement
Arrangement type Responsibility Role Comments Name
Design consultation activity
Activity stage Key issues Name Comments
Environmental Education
Both visitors and local people regularly attend †œMire Days†, which have been organised in the Å umava NP since 2008. In the ,rst half of such a mire day, people help with mire restoration a-er which they can visit undisturbed mires during the a-ernoon excursion.
Similar †œMire Weeks† have also been organised in collaboration with NGOs for already 8 years. *ese †œMire Weeks† are attended mainly by young people and students. In this way several hundred people from the whole Czech Republic have taken part in mire restoration
Design land use change
Land use change type
Design authority
Authority type Role Responsibility Name Comments
National water authority
Financing
Czech Ministry of Environment
Administation of Sumava National Park
PLA Authority
Key lessons
The target water table concept seems to be a useful tool in mire restoration especially in the case of bogs and various sloping mires.
Long-term monitoring including a pre-restoration period of several years is necessary to evaluate restoration success both in mires and adjacent habitats, for understanding ecological processes and complete cosystem response.
When assessing hydrochemistry efects of restoration on the catchment level, the various conditions of restored minerotrophic mires and bogs should be taken into consideration.
Success factor(s)
Success factor type Success factor role Comments
Financing possibilities
main factor
Financing
Financing type Comments
National funds
Management programmes, Sumava NP and PLA Authority
Barrier
Barrier type Barrier role Comments
Other
main barrier
All restoration measures were limited in time
Driver
Driver type Driver role Comments
Organisation committed to it
main driver
Authority of the Natural Park
Availability of subsidies
secondary driver
Legal obligations
secondary driver
Strategy programes
Financing share
Financing share type Share Comments
Policy description
Almost 70% mires have been modified by various human activities like forestry, agriculture and peat extraction in the past.
Part of wider plan
1
Policy target
Target purpose
Increase Water Storage
Improved Biodiversity
Policy pressure
Pressure directive Relevant pressure
Policy area
Policy area type Policy area focus Name Comments
Policy impact
Impact directive Relevant impact
Policy wider plan
Wider plan type Wider plan focus Name Comments
Landscape management programmes
Policy requirement directive
Requirement directive Specification
Costs total
510000
Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity
N/A info
Information on Ecosystem provisioning services
N/A info
Ecosystem impact climate regulation
Not relevant for the specific application
Information on increased water storage
The mean water table rose
Information on runoff reduction
The fluctuations in the water table were reduced, especially in the dwarf-shrub bog sites and wet forests. The water table beneath Trichophorum lawns remained at almost the same level, but also here fluctuations were reduced.
Water quality overall improvements
Positive impact-WQ improvement
Information on Water quality overall improvements
Increased concentrations of PO4, Al, Fe. Hydrochemical changes were found to be much more expressed in wet forest than peatbog. Long-term monitoring is necessary for understanding ecological processes and complete cosystem response.
Soil quality overall soil improvements
N/A info
Information on Soil quality overall soil improvements
N/A info