On 26th of March 2019, ConnectGREEN project partners from the Czech Republic and Slovakia met to discuss in detail the methodology and plan for activities in the project pilot area. The meeting followed the national meeting in Vsetín, Czech Republic in February this year, where problems related to landscape fragmentation and the importance of maintaining ecological connectivity were presented to key stakeholders and experts.

The meeting was organized by Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA CZ) in Ostrava (PLA, Protected Landscape Area Poodří) and hosted representatives from the Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening (VÚKOZ), The State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic (SNC SK), WWF DCP and PLA Cerová vrchovina.

© Linda Zachystalová/NCA CZ

Content of the meeting

Martin Strnad (NCA CZ) introduced important upcoming  Work Package 4 "Innovative pilot sites" activities: 4.1 Implement the Methodology for ecological corridors / core areas identification, 4.2. Develop management measures to maintain and/or improve connectivity in the pilot sites and 4.3. Develop an innovative Decision Support Tool for the preservation of ecological corridors dedicated to landscape planners.

The whole meeting took place in the spirit of a lively debate – participants discussed particular activities, presented their ideas and agreed on next steps towards realization of these. Adéla Kluchová (NCA CZ) committed to create a standardized form for recording ecological corridors evaluation and barriers. Another form will be created for describing critical points in each pilot area including recommendations for proper management measures and solutions.

The discussion touched on more general (sometimes almost philosophical) themes such as the rapidity of the landscape changes due to human influence, the obligatory character of the project output materials for spatial planners, or time and personal possibilities for potential monitoring of large mammals in the critical points of the ecological corridors.

© Linda Zachystalová/NCA CZ

Conclusion

The meeting of Czech and Slovak partners was an important step for future cooperation on the ConnectGREEN project. It brought systemization of upcoming activities and responsibilities of each project partner, and clarification of particular methodical parts or possible ambiguities.

About the CZ-SK pilot area Beskydy-Kysuce

The Protected Landscape Area Poodří lies beyond the border of Western Carpathians, a ConnectGREEN pilot area. It is hilly landscape and consists of foothills of the Western Carpathians which serves as an important buffer zone for dispersing animals migrating from the inner part of the Carpathians to further places that lay on the margins of the Carpathians. That’s why also here ecological corridors and their critical points will be identified according to the Methodology, and management measures and improvements suggested to maintain and improve large carnivores to cross this area.