Main goal of the project

Main goal of the project is to raise the awareness of both the unprofessional and professional public through mobile paths and map applications about the importance of artificial biotopes for protecting the species’s biodiversity and for ecological stability. Into artificial biotopes we comprise those biotopes that are heavily influenced by human activity. In case of our project it means mainly mines, hoppers and deposits.

Most people think about artificial biotopes as a landscape mostly devoid of life. But scientific researches in past decades show, that these very regions are extremely important shelters for species’s biodiversity. In past researches there were observed 160 species of butterflies, 148 species of incests from the  family of ground and tiger beetles, 18 species of amphibians, 8 species of reptiles and 213 species of birds. Relatively high number of found species are listed as endangered species or are highly protected organisms. Artificial biotopes also have in many cases huge impact on cultural aesthetics as a landscape dominants and a memento of past mining activities near cities and villages.

Another significant meaning of artificial biotopes is that there are specific conditions on most of them that are sought by specific species. That‘s why it’s possible to find unique societies on these locations.

Within the project we monitor biodiversity on 31 locations in 8 regions of Czech Republic. We are going to introduce specific mobile paths in these locations which are going to acquaint both visitors and local residents with history of mining the minerals in the location and about newly formed biotopes and the most important endangered species and highly protected organisms such as fungi, plants and animals.

In 6 selected artificial biotopes in Zlin region – clay mine Borsice, brick clay mine Havrice, quarry Zlutava, quarry Chvalcov, sand mine Spytihnev and sand mine Polesovice were by beforehand stated methodologies carried biological and ecological researches of macroscopic fungi, vascular plants, mites from order Oribatida, Hymenoptera ants and wasps, Carabidae, butterflies, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. There were detailed reports processed about all groups of organisms also comprising the state of the biotopes, species and ecosystems in those locations left by mining of minerals. The presence of endangered species of fungi, plants and animals registered in red lists of ČR and highly protected organisms according to the law n. 114/1992 Sb. and statement n. 395/1992 Sb. was recorded in discovered tables AOPK ČR. There were also ecological and landscape architecture related researches and geological characteristics from these selected biotopes from Zlin region. More about these regions in enclosed document.

Complementary ecological and biological researches combined with photographic documentation were conducted In another 25 artificial biotopes located in Jihocesky, Jihomoravsky, Karlovarsky, Olomoucky, Plzensky, Stredocesky and Ustecky regions. This complementary monitoring confirmed the presence of endangered species and highly protected organisms from red lists and organisms protected by law n. 114/1992 Sb. which in the specific environment of closed mining facilities can find optimal living conditions and conditions to reproduce.

Gradually there were Educational trail introduced in all 31 artificial biotopes including the QR codes for mobile phones.

During the year 2016 the a documentary (50 minutes) and 3 videospots (each 3 minutes long) were produced in cooperation with firm Orbis Pictures silm, s.r.o. and public Czech television about 3 artificial biotopes with Educational trails and QR codes for mobile phones. There were artificial biotopes recorded in 7 regions of Czech Republic. Documentary will be broadcasted on Ceska televize in the 3rd quarter of 2017.

Publicity

During the project a documentary movie will be produced about artificial biotopes. Film will be introduced on Ekofestival. Concurrently with the movie a moving exhibition formed, which is placed in cities around the Czech Republic. The problematics of artificial biotopes and the project and its goals were using the roll-up panels presented on international trade fair REGIONTOUR Brno, which took place during the 14.-17. January 2016.

Basic information about the project

Title: Increasing the awareness of the public concerning biodiversity in artificial biotopes in Czech Republic

Realization: January 2015 to april 2016, realization of the project was prolonged and the project ended 30.4.2017

Acceptor of the project: Institute for environmental policy, p.b.c. www.ekopolitika.cz

Contact person: Mgr. Tomas Gremlica Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Partners of the project. Taggmanager, o.s. - www.taggmanager.cz, www.dohaje.cz; VIS Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s. - http://www.bilekarpaty.cz

Supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.