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Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve
The Lower Morava (Dolní Morava) is the youngest and, in terms of area, the smallest biosphere reserve. It is located in southeastern Moravia and borders Austria to the south and the Slovak Republic to the east. Forests cover 39% of its area of just under 355 km², of which floodplain forests cover approximately 80 km², representing one-quarter of the biosphere reserve’s (BR) territory. These are some of the most extensive and biologically valuable floodplain landscape complexes in the entire Czech Republic. Arable land accounts for 37% of the area, permanent grasslands 9%, vineyards 6%, and ponds and water bodies 3%, equal to orchards and gardens.
On November 26 and 27, 2024, a working visit to the Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve took place within the framework of the APVV 20-0108 project “Implementation of Agenda 2030 through Biosphere Reserves”.
On November 27, 2024, a meeting was held with representatives of the Lower Morava BR, specifically with Ing. Jan Vybíral, Director of the company and Emeritus Member of the Czech National Committee for the MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Programme, and Ing. Petr Čupa, Deputy Director and Member of the UNESCO International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves in Paris. The Lower Morava BR is the youngest biosphere reserve in the Czech Republic; it was declared in 2003 and has a unique structure in the form of a Public Benefit Corporation (o.p.s. / OPS). Its founders were Lesy ČR s.p. (Forests of the Czech Republic), MND a.s., MŽP ČR (Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic), the District Chamber of Commerce in Břeclav, and the Czech Union for Nature Conservation. Later, the Ministry of the Environment and the Czech Union for Nature Conservation stepped down from the BR leadership. Currently, the Lower Morava BR has two core employees and one project manager specializing in internationally significant forests. The BR is managed by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from: Lesy ČR s.p., Mendel University in Brno, the Voluntary Association of Municipalities of the Lednice-Valtice Area (LVA), the District Chamber of Commerce Břeclav, the Podluží Region (a voluntary association of municipalities), MND a.s., the District Agrarian Chamber Břeclav, and the Voluntary Association of Municipalities of the Mikulov Region. Another body is the Supervisory Board. The management of the BR is based on the equal involvement of local governments, business entities, non-profit organizations, state administration, and the scientific community.
The representatives of the Lower Morava BR shared information regarding the challenges the biosphere reserve faces, weak state support, and issues connected with periodic evaluations—which include expanding the biosphere reserve to include additional sites in Břeclav and Mikulov—as well as successful projects. At the meeting, representatives of the Slovak MAB and the Poľana BR also presented current challenges and proposed close cooperation between both biosphere reserves. This was followed by a tour of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape and a visit to Mikulov.
Establishment of the Lower Morava BR
The creation of the Lower Morava BR is linked to long-term efforts by natural scientists to secure area-wide protection for the floodplain forest complex at the confluence of the Dyje, Kyjovka, and Morava rivers. In 2003, the International Co-ordinating Council of the MAB Programme in Paris approved the expansion of the original Pálava BR, as well as the name for the newly designated area – the Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve. Its uniqueness lies, among other things, in the fact that since August 31, 2004, responsibility for fulfilling the goals of the MAB Programme has been taken over by a public benefit corporation with its own legal entity – Biosférická rezervace Dolní Morava, o.p.s. (OPS). Credit for its creation goes to the founding entities, which are Lesy ČR s.p., Moravské naftové doly, a.s. (MND), the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP), the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP), and the District Chamber of Commerce Břeclav (OHK). The Pálava Protected Landscape Area (CHKO) is a part of the Lower Morava BR and, with its 83 km², covers about one-quarter of its total area.
The Lower Morava BR, o.p.s., develops its activities based on official documents in accordance with the Act on Public Benefit Corporations. These documents include the Founding Agreement, Rules of Procedure, and the Statutes of the Company, while applying so-called participatory management, where the most prominent entities of the region participate in the development of the OPS through their representatives. The board includes representatives from the founders (5 members), local government (3), and the District Agrarian Chamber (1). The company’s activities are carried out by two internal employees, with the Director serving as the statutory body of the corporation. The OPS cooperates with external partners and institutions both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including collaboration with universities.
Soutok – The Heart of the Floodplain Landscape in the Lower Morava BR
The now well-established and commonly used name Soutok (Confluence) refers to the area of the vast river floodplain between the Dyje and Morava rivers in the southeastern part of Moravia. It spans roughly 45 km², consisting mostly of state-owned land, catastraly belonging to the towns of Břeclav and Lanžhot. Floodplain forests grow here on an area of approximately 3,500 hectares, with a total timber stock of just under 1 million m³. For several centuries until 1945, the entire Soutok floodplain complex belonged to the House of Liechtenstein. Currently, it is managed by Forests of the Czech Republic (Lesy ČR, s.p.), specifically the Židlochovice Forest Enterprise, Soutok Forest District, based in Lanžhot. In addition to floodplain forests, there are 650 hectares of alluvial managed meadows and numerous other habitats such as wetlands, water bodies, channels, or sand dunes (locally called “hrôdy”) featuring steppe flora and fauna. Practically the entire area is fenced off, and at 4,480 hectares, it is the largest game park in the Czech Republic, where red deer, fallow deer, and wild boar are kept. From a biodiversity perspective, it is undoubtedly one of the most valuable territories in Central Europe.
From a geological and geomorphological standpoint, the Soutok floodplain area is described as the youngest creation of the rivers. Its basic characteristics and properties are determined primarily by sediments deposited gradually through floods over several thousand years following the end of the last ice age. In terms of the state and composition of the floodplain ecosystems, the composition and depth of sediments deposited from floods over the last millennium—especially since the 13th century—hold the greatest significance. This was when the detrimental consequences of agricultural colonization in the upper reaches of both river basins fully manifested. The local floodplain forests in their current basic composition of so-called hardwood floodplains are a very young vegetation type, only about 1,000 years “old.” Among the tree species, the dominant ones remained those more resilient to flooding, such as English oak, narrow-leafed ash, and European white elm. More frequent and massive floods “drove” not only many tree species out of the inundation area but also the inhabitants of traditional settlements on the banks of the lower river reaches. Not only did settlements of farmers and fishermen move to the safe higher elevations of river terraces, but also major Great Moravian settlements did too, such as those at Pohansko, Mikulčice, or near Strachotín.
Although the Soutok area is sometimes hyperbolically called the “Moravian Amazonia,” the fact remains that this territory has been intensively used economically for more than 250 years. Under the Liechtensteins, forestry in particular changed substantially. Moving away from the original “selective logging” (where whatever was currently needed was cut down without regard for replanting), the principle of what we today call sustainable management began to be applied in the mid-18th century. The foundation was a detailed inventory of forest property, mapping work, and forest management plans. Unified management of forestry was introduced, forest complexes were divided into sections, forest roads were constructed, and wide clearings were created and maintained. Logging volumes were planned for decades, and rotation periods were determined for all forests. A grand transformation of unproductive pasture and coppice forests began; oak stands were established from seeds as well as saplings. Suitable seed stock was imported from high-quality forests across the Habsburg Monarchy, but primarily from Slavonia in present-day Croatia. The current oldest forest stands are proof that forests were established on clearings as large as several dozen hectares. Old-growth oaks or their remains inside forest stands or in meadows serve as a reminder of the former pasture forests.
The alluvial meadows form a separate and equally interesting chapter in the development of the Soutok floodplain landscape. The demand for quality hay was immense because local villages had high numbers of livestock in past centuries. For example, a 1910 inventory showed that in Lanžhot alone, there were 198 horses, 650 cattle, 53 goats, 797 pigs, etc. Today, the challenge is rather what to do with the harvested biomass.
The greatest changes to the floodplain landscape were brought between 1968 and 1989 by a water management regulation project in South Moravia, designed to prevent the negative impact of floods on the population. However, its implementation fundamentally altered the natural hydrological conditions of the entire region. With small exceptions on the lower part of the Dyje, almost the entire original floodplain area found itself cut off from flooding. Behind the flood dikes, the hydrological regime changed drastically with all the negative consequences, posing a factual threat to the very existence of the floodplain ecosystems.
Salvation came in the form of a major revitalization project proposed by foresters for the Soutok area as well. Favorable conditions allowed for controlled flooding of floodplain habitats and the construction of an entire system of water management structures. Flood-simulation, including mimicking the dynamics of the groundwater table during the growing season, proved to be optimal for this area. The project was carried out by Forests of the Czech Republic, s.p.
Despite Soutok being an area where human economic activities of all kinds have developed for centuries, a multitude of sites with unique communities of insects, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, as well as notable plant species, have been preserved. These sites remain unique and must be protected as a whole for current and future generations. It is vital that they are part of internationally important wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, Natura 2000, or the Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve. However, a systemic approach to protecting this universal value must be based on a dynamic concept where not only experts agree, but principles ensuring the equality of all factors—socio-cultural, environmental, and economic—are fully respected.
Contact Persons
- Ing. Jan Vybíral (jan.vybiral@dolnimorava.org)Director of the company / Emeritus Member of the Czech National Committee for the MAB Programme
- Ing. Petr Čupa (petr.cupa@dolnimorava.org)Deputy Director / Member of the UNESCO International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves in Paris
- Ing. Hana Kalivodová (hanakalivodova@seznam.cz)Project Manager / Coordinator of the Czech Republic Model Forest Association
