2 On Nature in the Czech Republic Ochrana přírody/The Nature Conservation Journal Ochrana přírody/The Nature Conservation Journal On Nature in the Czech Republic 3 Tab. 1: Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland – basic data on the transboundary protected area Landschaftsschutz-gebiet Chráněná krajinná oblast European Transboundary Protected Areas: Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz/ Národní park České Švýcarsko/ Protected area Sächsische Schweiz/ Labské pískovce/ Saxon Switzerland NP Bohemian Switzerland NP Saxon Switzerland PLA Elbe Sandstones PLA Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland Country/State Germany/Saxony Czech Republic Germany/Saxony Czech Republic Year of establishment 1956 1972 1990 2000 Handrij Härtel Present size 28,750 ha 24,261 ha 9,350 ha 7,927 ha IUCN category V V II II International SCI1 SCI, SPA2 SCI, SPA SCI, SPA With this article we start a series on transboundary for Life programme (1994, Priority project 22), and protection protected areas certified under the Transboundary started soon after the fall of the Iron Curtain in Cen- Biogeographic region Continental Continental Continental Continental Parks programme of the EUROPARC Federation. The tral and Eastern Europe, opening up previously un- Notes: 1SCI – Site of Community Importance under the EU Habitats Directive; 2SPA – Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive programme was a follow-up of initiatives taken ear- imaginable possibilities. Jan Čeřovský was a Czech lier in the IUCN, inter alia, at the launch of the Parks representative strongly engaged in these activities. In 1996, the IUCN published the proceedings tory stage on the Czech side. Lively experience an Switzerland National Park (2000). Similarly, of an international conference entitled as Bio- with this Bohemian-Saxon collaboration and the Podyjí/Thaya River Basin National Park (1991) The whole Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland consists of extensive forested landscapes. © Václav Sojka diversity Conservation in Transboundary Pro- conclusions derived from it (Hentschel & Stein in the Czech Republic inspired the designation tected Areas in Europe (Čeřovský 1996), which 1996) captured in this publication has been still of the Thayatal National Park (2000) in Austria. took place in the town of Chřibská. Thanks to relevant today (see Box). this conference, the attention of nature conser- In many cases, transboundary protected areas vationists from many countries was drawn to In 1999, in collaboration with the EUROPARC have had a long tradition, dating back to a time the transboundary region of Saxon-Bohemian Federation, IUCN also published an essential long before the official pan-European activi- Switzerland – a National Park already on the comprehensive publication entitled as Trans- ties. We consider the first one to be the Pieniny Saxon side, but in a (very demanding) prepara- boundary Protected Areas in Europe (Brunner Mts. (1932, Czechoslovakia/Poland). In a range 1999), which basically determined the direction of other cases, transboundary protected ar- of transboundary collaboration in Europe, its eas unfortunately exist only on maps, where Recommendations for transboundary colla- potential, but also its obvious restrictions, to they border each other, but real collaboration boration, mentioned by Hentschel et Stein a large extent. The ideas outlined there even- is absent or very rare. Areas certified by the (1996), Experience from the Bohemian-Saxoni- tually led to the establishment of a relatively EUROPARC Federation thus represent a mere an Switzerland – Suggestions for a Transfron- robust system of evaluation, verification and fraction of the total number of transboundary tier Cooperation in Europe (edited): certification of transboundary collaboration, protected areas. They meet relatively strict cer- • Transboundary collaboration in nature based on detailed criteria (Basic Standards). tification criteria, while EUROPARC Federation conservation cannot be prescribed by de- Transboundary Parks is one of the most suc- membership and of course interest and deter- cree, top down, but should grow step by cessful EUROPARC Federation´s programmes, mination to undergo the evaluation process step bottom up. moreover unique on a global scale. It was are conditions as well. It should be mentioned • Transboundary collaboration in nature con- therefore presented at the IUCN World Park that although the certification criteria are equal servation must be wanted and supported Congress in Sydney (2014) on the example of for all candidates, the conditions of the particu- politically. the Krkonoše/Giat Mts. and Saxon-Bohemian lar protected areas to be met can differ diamet- • Transboundary collaboration is feasible Switzerland (Hošek et al. 2015). rically. Just imagine on the one hand the bilat- only when equal partners are involved. eral Krkonoše/Karkonosze National Park with • Transboundary collaboration requires mu- Since Europe consists of many, predominantly a very low language barrier, a long tradition of tual understanding in one language. small countries, transboundary collaboration is collaboration and a practically absent border • Transboundary collaboration should in- not only a welcome benefit, but in many cases within the Schengen area, and on the other volve the entire range of protected area a necessary condition for a range of protected hand the extensive (1,889 km2) trilateral pro- objectives and has to be oriented towards areas to function well. In some cases, the exist- tected area (different categories) Pasvik-Inari constructive results. ence of a partner protected area on the other on the territories of Norway, Finland and Russia • Acceptance of sustainable transboundary side of the border has played an essential role with an almost impermeable border between tourist development by nature conservati- in protected area designation or strengthen- the EU and Russia and a strong language barri- on authorities should not necessarily lead ing the conservation level. Examples are the er. Not without reason, transboundary collabo- to opening of border-crossings in the core re-designation of (part of) a Protected Land- ration runs there under the motto ‘Borders sep- zone of the protected areas. scape Area (PLA) into a national park. The Säch- arate – Nature unites!’ However, from regular • Transboundary protected areas should sische Schweiz National Park (1990) played an meetings of the European certified protected unite not only nature, but also nations. essential role in the designation of the Bohemi- area,family called TransParcNet, it follows un- 4 On Nature in the Czech Republic Ochrana přírody/The Nature Conservation Journal Ochrana přírody/The Nature Conservation Journal On Nature in the Czech Republic 5 Tab. 2: Examples of species which have undergone significant changes during the 20-year existence of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park: (i) species new to the NP found since NP establishment, Border of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park and Saxon Switzerland National Park It clearly shows that a transboundary protec- Areas with passive restoration (the Bohemian Switzerland National Park). (ii) species with a marked population increase during the past 20 years, (iii) species with a sharp decline during the past 20 years. The table only includes selected examples of species from various Naturzone A (Saxon Switzerland National Park) ted area certified under the Transboundary groups of organisms; this relates particularly to the species rich taxon of insects, where moreover many species ‘new’ to the NP are not the result of environmental change but intensive new research. Parks programme consists there of not only (From: Härtel et al. (2020) – Proměna přírody Národního parku České Švýcarsko během 20 let jeho existence (Changes in Nature in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park during 20 years of two National Parks, but also two Protected Existence), České Švýcarsko – Zpravodaj Správy NP, 2020, courtesy of the editors) Landscape Areas. Category Species Change, trend Remarks Anthracophilous fungus abundantly spreading after fire at the Krkavčí kameny/ The following facts should be mentioned to Ascomycetous fungi Pyronema omphalodes Temporary massive occurrence Raven´s Stones site briefly characterise Saxon-Bohemian Switzer- Discovered at the village of Jetřichovice in 2004, bioindicators of clean air; in Lichens Beard lichens (Usnea spp.) Return after 70 years the first five years mainly growing on Larix, presently also regularly found on land in superlatives and strong terms. broad-leaved deciduous trees Bryophytes – Liverworts Down liverwort (Trichocolea tomentella) Species new to the NP Found in the Vlčí potok/Wolf Brook valley in 2015 • It is the largest sandstone-rock area in Bryophytes – Mosses shining hookeria (Hookeria lucens) Species new to the NP Found near the village of Janov in 2010 Europe. Found near U Sloupu/At Column lodge in 2006 as a species new to the CR; in Elegant bristle-moss Bryophytes – Mosses the late 1990s, it started spreading from its native distribution range on the (Orthotrichum pulchellum) Species new to the NP West European coast to the European inland; in the CR it has been now known • It has the widest elevation range (over from more than 20 sites (7 in the NP) situated at the W and SW state border 600 m, between Mt. Vysoký Sněžník and First representative of the genus found in 2003; mosses sensitive the Elbe River, the lowest location in the Bryophytes – Mosses Ulota spp. Species new to the NP to air pollution, this genus and Orthotrichum spp. have seen a