Special Issue

On Sunday 24 July, a fire broke out in the České Švýcarsko/Bohemian Switzerland National Park (northern Bohemia) which due to its extent will go down in the history of not only this National Park. Mainly dry Norway spruce (Picea abies) monocultures having been damaged by a European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) outbreak burned down, but also valuable ecosystems and a part of the village of Mezná were affected. The fire was preceded by dry and warm weather with record temperatures of up to 36 °C. At the time of writing this contribution, more than a thousand firefighters had been extinguishing seats of fire for 16 days, which is too early for an evaluation of various aspects. It has however already been obvious that the event will become a turning point in the attitude to forests in the Czech Republic. 

Thirty-year anniversary of the current Act on Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection is enhanced by an even older anniversary. In 2022, a century has passed since submitting the very first proposal for nature conservation act by the Member of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia Jaroslav V. Stejskal. Therefore, let us briefly remember efforts by nature conservationists and naturalists to obtain legislative nature conservation and landscape protection in former Czechoslovakia, then the Czech Republic.

Tourism has currently been an important part of many national economies. Population share on tourism is important benchmark of the country’s living standard. Tourism development is supported by a range of factors related to Earth’s human population growth, improving its health and education, which gradually overcomes language barriers and encourages the exploration of new places, cultures and experience unusual adventures.

Protected areas are important not only because of nature conservation and landscape protection but also of attractiveness of the regions or areas in which they are situated. The article presents the experience from the Šumava/Bohemian Forest Mts.

Nature and its remarkable elements are one of the main tourism pillars. On the other hand, when fully respecting the certain rules, tourism can provide protected areas with benefits because protected areas are extremely attractive for tourism.

The general public has been sensitive to any limitation to spending leisure or holiday time in nature. In addition, every decision in this field affects many people. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the decision-making.

The article deals with some strategic aspects of the relationship between tourism and nature conservation and landscape protection in the Czech Republic.

In the Czech Republic, similarly to most of European countries, entrance fees into protected areas have not been collected by governmental authorities.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been instrumental in coordinating global protected areas through its World Commission on Protected Areas.

At present, parts of the landscape with well preserved nature, particularly protected areas, are among sites with most rapidly developing tourism in the Czech Republic as well as globally.