Subject and goals of the project

Awareness of the stability of ecosystems, their impact on climate and agricultural crops is only emerging in many regions in the Czech Republic. Therefore, there is little knowledge about what can be done to stabilise ecosystems. As a practical exercise in analysis, planning and implementation, in the project the different stakeholders are supported by the Czech partners to each grow and maintain a landscape element at a key location in the agricultural landscape. Indeed, the barriers in Czech rural society to practically participate in ecosystem stabilisation measures are quite high. There are many obstacles to overcome in order for mayors, farmers and other actors to be able to, for example, plant stabilising landscape elements and implement other appropriate measures in the landscape. Farmers are often overburdened and struggle with financial and climate-related problems. Environment and biodiversity are usually not their main concern. At the same time, there are many misconceptions in rural areas about biodiversity and the ecological benefits of landscapes and landscape elements.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness, communicate the benefits of stable ecosystems and pass on practical knowledge. To this end, a partnership model between farmers, conservationists and other stakeholders is being used to implement practical measures in two pilot regions. This model focuses on consensus-building measures to improve landscape management, drawing on the experience of the German Association for Landscape Management (DVL) and other German landscape management associations as well as the Czech partners.

The project has three target groups: Farmers (at individual farm level), nature conservationists and local public administrations such as mayors in the two pilot regions. Hunters, landowners and local action groups (development of regional tourism) are also informed about the project and can participate if they are interested.

In detail, the following measures will be implemented:

• Establishment of round tables in the target areas,
• Raising awareness of cooperative structures to achieve stable ecosystems (increasing biodiversity, reducing erosion, etc.),
• Further development of the temporary structures of the round table into a more sustainable organisational structure in the form of a regional care association,
• Development of a website with information on stable ecosystems in the agricultural cultural landscape and on practical measures to improve them,
• Creation of one landscape element per target region and establishment of the further maintenance structure as a "practice area" for cooperation,
• Optimisation of the model for transfer to other Czech regions, taking into account successes and failures,
• Development of a guide for the selection and financing of landscape elements for farmers and mayors.

The project should also serve to use the knowledge and experience gained from the project to transfer the approach to other Czech regions, so that constructive cooperation between nature conservation, agriculture and local politics can also develop there, which can lead to a strengthening of biodiversity and other ecosystem services.

Innovation and exemplary nature of the project

The innovative character of the project results from the transfer of a successful German model of cooperation between farmers, nature conservationists and the state administration to the Czech Republic. This concept of cooperation has so far been far removed from the possibilities that exist in the Czech Republic and is not available to rural actors today.

This model has been working in Germany for 30 years and is constantly being developed. Moreover, the experience of the DVL in different countries and under different conditions has shown that the cooperative model of rural care associations is flexible enough to be adapted to the conditions in the Czech Republic as well.

However, the model from Germany cannot be applied without modifications due to the nevertheless different framework conditions in the Czech Republic; some more or less significant adaptations of the model are made.
 

Special aspects of the project

This is a pilot phase to learn the basic adaptation of cooperation models to the Czech environment. The knowledge gained will lead to a larger project to transfer the lessons learned to other Czech regions. To this end, the two Czech partners will first establish formal or informal cooperation with mayors, farmers and environmentalists. Both formal and informal cooperation involves meetings of the group with the aim of exchanging know-how and working on a voluntary basis in the region (e.g. farmers who want to optimise the management of their fields, or mayors who want to, for example, improve the landscape).

Funding subject: Nature conservation and sustainable use of nature in cultural landscapes and protected areas

Cooperation partners:

• German Association for Landscape Conservation e. V., Ansbach
• Czech Society for Ornithology, Prague
• Ekotoxa GmbH, Brno

Locations: Bavaria and the Czech Republic

Funding period: February 2021 to April 2022

Project costs: Total volume: 153 851 Euro, DBU funding: 84 866 Euro

DBU-AZ: 37065

Note: Translation of the German version with DeepL

Last updated: 30.05.2022