Strategic frameworks and sectoral inclusion
Strategic and legislative framework
Biodiversity strategies and legislation
The National Biodiversity Strategy (NBS) defines priorities in sustainable biodiversity use and conservation for 2016-25. Built on a comprehensive evaluation of the previous strategy (2005-15), it is also linked to the State Environmental Policy, the Czech Republic 2030 sustainable development strategy and concept documents across all sectors. The NBS focuses on mainstreaming biodiversity protection into decision making at all administrative levels and aims to maintain a given funding level for biodiversity conservation, nature and landscapes after 2020, when current operational programmes end. A midterm implementation review of the NBS objectives will be prepared in 2020 and an overall evaluation in 2025. The NBS is aligned with international commitments: the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020, the Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan for Biodiversity to 2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The evaluation of the 2005-15 NBS concluded that 28% of its 161 strategic objectives were achieved, 45% were partially met, 19% were not met and 8% could not be evaluated. These results were attributed to half the objectives being too ambitious or not measurable. Consequently, the updated NBS contains fewer objectives and measures, focusing on essential and achievable priorities. It will be supplemented by more detailed measures and more specific tasks in a 2018 update of the State Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection Programme of 2009.
The NBS contains 20 framework objectives in four priority areas, 68 component objectives and 123 follow-up measures, each associated with an assessment indicator. Most indicators currently available are related to financial resources from the EU structural and investment funds; there are very few indicators to monitor the status and evolution of the state of biodiversity. Developing such comprehensive indicators is an NBS objective.
NBSAP2005 Threatened Species Strategy
Agriculture
Agricultural inputs and pesticides
Agriculture accounts for about 2.5% of GDP and employment, and agricultural land covers more than half the territory. Large farms cover 70% of the agricultural area and small farms (89% of farms by number) account for the remaining 30%. The real net value of agricultural production was stable over the review period, as was the area devoted to agriculture. Since 2000, there has been a slight shift to permanent grassland and meadows, driven by implementation of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the EU milk crisis. Output was stable: while cereal production increased by 38%, other crops by 14% and food production by 5%, livestock production fell by 12% and non-food output by 55%.
Since 2000, nitrogen surpluses have decreased by 6%. However, consumption of mineral nitrogen per hectare, which accounts for 83% of mineral fertiliser consumption, increased by 70% between 2000 and 2015: it was particularly high in 2015 due to extreme drought. Phosphorus surpluses, meanwhile, decreased both in absolute tonnes (by 125%) and in terms of nutrient surpluses per hectare of agricultural land (by 140%); the phosphorus balance has been negative since 2008.
Pesticide consumption remained below that of most OECD countries despite increasing by 13% over 2000-15: it fluctuated but generally increased until 2012 (by 33%), then decreased by 15% with the implementation of the National Action Plan to Reduce the Use of Pesticides. Adopting measurable targets would help tracking progress in reducing the risk and impact of pesticide use on human health and the environment. Herbicides accounted for the largest share (45%), followed by fungicides (28%), growth regulators (14%), plant protection products (8%) and insecticides (5%).
In addition to pesticide use, agricultural land is polluted by past and present industry contamination from chemical incidents and leakage of contaminated water, waste discharges directly to the soil, leaching from contaminated sites, landfills, etc. As a result, limit values in soil are repeatedly exceeded for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons chrysene and fluoranthene, and there is a high degree of persistence of chlorinated pesticides in soil. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium and nickel in soil are also above limit values.
Agriculture is a major source of diffuse pollution in both surface water bodies and ground reservoirs. It is mainly due to runoff from sprays, plant protection products and fertilisers, exacerbated by unsuitable crop composition, soil processing that increases erosion risk, compaction of the subtopsoil layer, etc. Such pollution is not monitored even though its effects on water quality are significant (CENIA, 2016).
Main policies and measures and organic farming
Environmental considerations have gradually been integrated into the CAP. The 2014-20 CAP enhances the policy framework for sustainable management of natural resources, addresses climate change mitigation and reinforces the resilience of farming. EU countries need to comply with basic environmental requirements to receive full funding, in addition to which they receive financial support as a "green payment" per hectare. They must also allocate part of their budget to measures beneficial to the environment in rural development programmes (RDPs); examples include agro-environment-climate measures and organic farming. The Czech RDP focuses mainly on ensuring sustainable natural resource management and encouraging climate-friendly farming practices while increasing competitiveness in agriculture, forestry and the food industry.
The share of land under organic farming tripled over 2000-11, then stalled; it accounted for 12% of the agricultural area in 2015. Implementation of the 2016-20 Action Plan for Development of Organic Farming aims to revive the positive trend and ensure that organic agriculture is a stable market by 2020. It follows two earlier organic farming action plans (2004-10 and 2011-15), each of which strengthened targets previously set for total land area under organic farming (10% of the agricultural area by 2010, which was met, and 15% by 2015, which was not). The growth of organic farming has largely been supported by subsidies paid within agro-environmental measures as defined in the RDP. Organic farmers received support either as payments per land area under organic management or in the form of a preferential points allowance according to investment projects. As about two-thirds of subsidies are allocated to livestock production, permanent grassland constitutes most of the land under organic farming (82%). The domestic organic food market remains underdeveloped, accounting for only 0.7% of food and beverage consumption in 2014, with most production exported.
Close to half the agricultural land is potentially threatened by water erosion and 11% is extremely threatened. Similarly, 18% of agricultural land is exposed to wind erosion, including 3% of the most vulnerable agricultural soil. This is principally due to intensive agricultural practices, such as large-scale unification of plots, monocultures, removal of landscape elements, lack of grass-covered belts or terraces, land management that disregards the slope of the land and growth of crops potentially vulnerable to erosion, e.g. maize. Heavily eroded soil can, on average, reduce yields by up to 75% and cut land prices by half. In the long term, the biggest problem is soil loss in the areas with the highest soil quality, around the Elbe and in Moravian valleys. The EU Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC), addressing pollution from agricultural activities, is being implemented. The European Soil Thematic Strategy also aims at preventing soil degradation and preserving soil as an important carbon pool.
Fisheries and aquaculture
Water resource management main policies and measures
EU requirements have been an important driver of improvement in water management and quality in EU countries. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other water-related directives established community-wide objectives to address pollution, promote better use and protection of water and mitigate the impact of floods and droughts. The Czech Republic prepared river basin management plans (RBMPs) for its river basins to comply with the WFD and has used the national Water Act as the main implementation tool. RBMPs were developed for the Danube, Elbe and Oder and for eight sub-basins. The plans in the initial cycle (2009-15) were gradually approved by early 2010. They outline measures aimed at achieving good status for all water bodies. A second river basin management planning cycle (2016-21), this time covering 10 sub-basins, was approved in 2015.
In terms of water management, the Water Act sets targets for flood protection and sustainable water use in addition to those of the RBMPs. Flood risk management plans, approved in 2015 for the following six years, were developed to address the repeated occurrence of large floods (after a century without such floods). Strategic documents such as the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan are also relevant for water use in a changing climate. In this context, the government in 2014 created a waterdrought interdepartmental committee to find effective solutions that could be rapidly implemented to address this emerging issue.
The Drinking Water and Bathing Water Directives set water quality standards. The Nitrates Directive protects water resources from nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. The Urban Waste Water Directive addresses collection, treatment and discharge of wastewater. In addition to national legislation transposing these directives, the Czech Republic adopted national and regional development plans for water supply and sewerage systems. The national plan defined objectives to 2015, laid down principles for ensuring the long-term public interest in these areas and synthesised information from the regional plans. The Operational Programme “Environment” (2014-20) also aims to address unregulated pollution discharges.
The Czech Republic is actively involved in the development of International RBMPs in the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe (ICPE, 1992), the Danube and the Oder. During its presidency of the ICPDR in 2016 it had three main priorities: support implementation of the International Danube River Basin Management Plan and Flood Risk Management Plan, be active concerning floods and droughts, and foster co-operation not only between countries in the region but also through other initiatives, particularly the EU macro-regional strategy for the Danube Region. Basin-wide co-operation and transboundary river basin management issues are dealt with through bilateral commissions with the Slovak Republic, Germany, Austria and Poland.
Forestry sector
Forests cover 35% of the land area, a slight increase from 34% in 2000. Coniferous forests are predominant (72%) due to past widespread planting of spruce and pine monocultures, which are less resistant to damage from disease and environmental pressure. Forests are among the worst-ranked habitats in the Czech Republic. Intense air pollution loads in past decades resulted in a high level of defoliation compared to other EU countries. Young forest growth is impeded by foraging by excessive numbers of game animals. The country is progressively moving towards a more natural and sustainable forest composition, which would entail the share of coniferous trees further decreasing to 64%, along with birch, elm and alder, and that of other deciduous trees, particularly beech, oak and linden, increasing from 8% to 18%.
The country has forest management plans focusing on production in forests that account for 75% of the total forest area. The volume of growing stock has increased by 13% since 2000, and forest resource use intensity is sustainable, meaning the total production volume is lower in the long term than the mean annual increment. Fluctuations in intensity are mainly due to drought, along with insect infestation and fungal disease on windbreaks.
Over 61% of the forest area is owned by the state and 15% by municipalities. Protection regimes cover 15% of the forest area. Sustainable forest management certification programmes, such as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and the Forest Stewardship Council, cover a declining share, which peaked at 75% in 2006 then dropped continuously to reach 68% in 2015. The decrease is attributed to the demanding certification process associated with a decline in sales of certified wood products, which consumers often considered too expensive after the crisis.
Extractive industries
Tourism
ecological sustainable tourism, environmental education, financial support mechanisms certification of environmentally sound tourism, organic farming Certification costs and managerial skills under different organic certification schemes - Selected Case Studies: Czech Republic (2007)
Urban sprawl
Energy and infrastructure
Climate change
References
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