Search

The provision of ecosystem services within social-ecological systems is influenced by multiple environmental and anthropogenic driving forces, affecting natural ecosystems. At the same time, the capacity of ecosystems to concurrently provide different types of ecosystem services is inherently limited. Thus, ecosystem changes and their effect on ecosystem services have direct implications for human existence and well-being. The aim of this thesis is to present a modelling approach to assess regulating, provisioning and cultural ecosystem services and to quantify their potential trade-offs, illustrated by two case studies carried out in selected UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in the Czech Republic, Třeboň Basin Biosphere Reserve and Šumava Biosphere Reserve. Both of the selected case study areas are characterized by high levels of natural and cultural assets and challenges regarding future landscape management. In this study, first the social-ecological dynamics within the study areas was analysed by creating participative scenarios through collaboration with local stakeholders, eliciting their preferences regarding future landscape development to 2050. Second, the impact of the scenarios on ecosystem services and their trade-offs were assessed using a combination of spatially explicit models and...

Spatial heterogeneity is an important ecological factor influencing the species diversity of a community. Research of spatial heterogeneity was carried at a spoil heap in a brown coal mining district near Sokolov, the Czech Republic. The study site was located in a non-reclaimed part of the spoil heap with a characteristic microrelief, consisting of terrain waves. This part of spoil heap has been overgrown by spontaneous vegetation. A detailed model of microrelief was made and soil pH of microhabitats and the distribution of wooden vegetation were mapped. The results suggest that spatial heterogeneity of the microrelief strongly influences the spatial heterogeneity of soil qualities. Three main sources of the spatial heterogeneity of soil qualities were identified: (1) the features of dumped substrate, (2) local transport and (3) the abundance of wooden vegetation. Spatial heterogeneity of microrelief also influences the way of vegetation establishment and leads to an irregular tree distribution. Wooden vegetation tends to establish at the north, leeward side of the wave and on the steeper slopes, the lengths of which are around 5 meters. Soil pH on individual waves and microhabitats is influenced by both microrelief and the number of wooden vegetation. Spatial heterogeneity of microrelief...

TITLE: Evaluation of ecosystem integrity and services on regional level with the use of participatory approaches AUTHOR: Mgr. Jakub Zelený DEPARTMENT: Environmental studies SUPERVISOR: Mgr. Davina Elena Vačkářová, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: The presented work proposes and applies a set of methods designed to describe ecosystem integrity, services and landscape values, including their interaction, on the example of several studied regions. The included publications describes 4 types of methods for evaluating these phenomena: remote sensing of the Earth, regional statistics, expert matrices, and qualitative interviews and mapping. Applied methods can be divided into natural sciences and social sciences, and part of the work is to evaluate the benefits and compare the compatibility between these very different methods in evaluating selected elements of landscapes. The methods are applied in a variety of ranges, ranging from urban areas (10 km2) to the federal states. Natural ecosystems and forests have been assessed best in terms of ecosystem integrity, with the relationship between ecosystem integrity and crop production being negative. Qualitative mapping of landscape values revealed that pristine and inaccessible areas, as well as single- purpose sites, had low societal value in terms of intensity and / or diversity...