The Soutok (Confluence) Protected Landscape Area will be established near the confluence of the Morava and Dyje rivers, as approved yesterday by a government decree and announced by Environment Minister Petr Hladik. The area will be the 27th such area in the country.
The area of almost 120 square kilometres in southern Moravia is one of the largest floodplain forests in Central Europe. It is already part of the Natura 2000 system and the Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve.
The Environment Ministry stresses that the declaration of the protected landscape area (CHKO) will ensure a greater protection of natural and cultural values, without adversely affecting the economic use of the area.
The costs of managing the new protected area are expected to amount to CZK 7.8 million per year, said Hladik (KDU-CSL).
He said that the unique nature in this area is known as Moravian Amazonia.
Some locals are against the establishment of the protected landscape area, which will extend over the territory of 20 municipalities. Some landowners fear restrictions on economic activity and procedural complications.
The Environment Ministry said that there have been restrictions in the area for some time because the area is part of Natura 2000, and so the protected landscape area will have only minimum impact on economic activity.
Hladik said that declaring the area a protected landscape should make it more attractive for tourists. A study by Charles University estimates that annual visitor numbers could increase by 48%, which would bring an increase in GDP of more than CZK 29 million per year to the region.
South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL) welcomed the government’s decision to establish the Soutok protected landscape area. “This part of South Moravia is one of the most beautiful places in our country and deserves protection. For me, a protected area is a better way than a national park. I see this step as the right one,” he said.
The government’s move was also welcomed by environmentalists. “The expert community has long agreed that the optimal form of protection for Soutok is a protected landscape area, together with the network of small-area reserves that have already been declared. It is a cultural landscape where human intervention is desirable, which is why a national park is not suitable,” said David Storch, head of the Czech Ecological Society.