Český les Protected Landscape Area

Český les
Protected Landscape Area
Typical landscape in CHKO Český les
Country Czech Republic
Region Pilsen
Highest point Čerchov
 - elevation 1,042 m (3,419 ft)
 - coordinates CZ 49°23′0.06″N 12°47′1.38″E / 49.3833500°N 12.7837167°E / 49.3833500; 12.7837167
Length 65 km (40 mi), NW-SE
Width 10 km (6 mi), SW-NE
Area 473.42 km2 (182.79 sq mi)
Founded 2005
Management Správa CHKO Český les
 - location Přimda
Location of Český les in the Czech Republic

Český les Protected Landscape Area (Czech: Chráněná krajinná oblast Český les, usually abbreviated as CHKO Český les, the name can be translated as Bohemian Forest) is a Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic. It lies in the western part of the Pilsen Region along the border with the German state of Bavaria. It protects the most valuable parts of the range of the same name, the Český les, which bears the name Oberpfälzer Wald in Germany.

CHKO Český les was declared in 2005 as the 25th Protected Landscape Area of the Czech Republic. Most of the area was vacated after the forced expulsion of the predominantly German inhabitants after the World War II. Until the fall of the Communist regime in 1989 it was part of the Western border zone, virtually uninhabited. Due to this development it is today an area little affected by human activities, a mosaic of deep forests, meadows and forests. There are many valuable well-preserved habitats of the beech and mixed fir-beech forests (though replaced by spruce plantations in a large part of the origibnal area), bog spruce forests and bog Mountain Pine forests. Geologically the area is not much varied, with the nutrient deficient rocks of the so-called Moldanubicum pluton of Paleozoic to Proterozoic origin (granites, gneiss, schists, slates). CHKO Český les covers an area of 473.42 km2 (182.79 sq mi).

There are no permanent settlements in the area, rather a few restored hamlets and many of the meadows and patures are now used for cattle raising. The protected area is divided in two parts separated by the D5 highway connecting the Czech Republic and Germany. The zone close to the highway was not included in the protected area.

Nature Reserves

As of February 2007 there were following Nature Reserves and other smaller protected areas within the CHKO Český les:

Name Type Area Reason for protection
Broumovská bučina Nature Reserve 26.17 ha (64.67 acres) herb-rich beech forest
Bučina u Žďáru Nature Reserve 6.77 ha (16.73 acres) acidophilous montane beech forest
Bystřice Nature Reserve 43.61 ha (107.76 acres) mixed montane forest
Čerchovské hvozdy National Nature Reserve 326.93 ha (807.86 acres) primal mixed beech forest
Diana Nature Reserve 20.41 ha (50.43 acres) primeval herb-rich forest
Dlouhý vrch Nature Reserve 21.00 ha (52 acres) montane sycamore-beech forest
Farské bažiny Nature Reserve 66.00 ha (163 acres) bog spruce forest
Hvožďanská louka Nature Monument 6.70 ha (16.6 acres) managed meadow
Jezírka u Rozvadova Nature Reserve 6.23 ha (15.39 acres) peat bog
Křížový kámen Nature Reserve 19.23 ha (47.52 acres) raised bog forest with peat lakes
Louka u Staré Huti Nature Monument 2.07 ha (5.12 acres) managed bog meadow
Malý Zvon Nature Reserve 8.00 ha (20 acres) autochthonous beech forest
Milov Nature Monument 0.74 ha (1.83 acres) sloped spring peat bog
Na požárech National Nature Monument 78.60 ha (194.22 acres) transitional bog (originally declared for grouse protection)
Nad Hutí Nature Reserve 14.04 ha (34.69 acres) autochthonous beech forest
Ostrůvek Nature Reserve 5.51 ha (13.62 acres) raised bog forest
Pavlova Huť Nature Reserve 35.82 ha (88.51 acres) bog spruce forest
Pleš Nature Reserve 27.69 ha (68.42 acres) ravine sycamore and sloped beech forest
Podkovák Nature Reserve 5.63 ha (13.91 acres) raised bog forest
Skalky na Sádku Nature Monument 3.89 ha (9.61 acres) spruce-beach forest
Starý Hirštejn Nature Reserve 37.15 ha (91.8 acres) autochthonous mixed forest
Tišina Nature Reserve 10.35 ha (25.58 acres) acidophilous montane beech forest
Tři Znaky Nature Reserve 289.86 ha (716.26 acres) declaration pending
Veský mlýn Nature Monument 32.04 ha (79.17 acres) transitional bog

Resources

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