Sumava mountains (Bohemian forest) (35)
Czechia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Sumava
Central coordinates: Latitude: 48.9333, Longitude: 13.6667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 552 to 1378
Area of KBA (km2): 975.02101
Protected area coverage (%): 99.71
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: AAn extensive 120 km-long mountain range bordering Bavaria and Austria. It is one of the largest and oldest mountain ranges in central Europe. Secondary spruce forests are the dominating cover, but remnants of virgin spruce forests are still present at altitudes above 1,200 m. Other primary types of forests in the umava mountains, flowering beech forests and fir forests, have remained in their primeval form only locally at altitudes between 600 and 1,100 m. Following the near-complete evacuation of the population of the umava mountains after the World War II, a mosaic of secondary treeless areas and different vegetation succession stages emerged at lower altitudes. A large number of streams and numerous raised and valley bogs are typical for the area. Five of the eight umava glacial lakes, which are more than 10,000 years old, are found on the Czech side of the mountains. Many water reservoirs were built there; the Lipenská dam in the southern part of umava is the biggest of them. The territory of this IBA also includes the whole Boletice military training area. A large, extremely varried and mainly forested area. It is a colorful mosaic of different habitat types, some of them specifically influenced by military activities.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (15%) | fisheries/aquaculture (3%) | forestry (50%) | hunting | military (1%) | nature conservation and research (10%) | not utilised | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 56 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 19 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 14 | |
| Grassland | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Deforestation is a threat due to the effects of wind and acid rain, and population explosions of insect pests occur in monospecific plantations made more susceptible by the effects of air pollution. Recreational use is likely to increase, and resettlement of the region is expected.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Only in the future |