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As ongoing research efforts contribute to elucidating the consequences of climate change as well as adaptation and mitigation options, aligning the current research knowledge with stakeholder opinions and perceptions remains critical for adopting effective climate change policies. This paper utilizes an interactive survey to (1) address the aforementioned gap in studies involving three groups of stakeholders and opinion makers and (2) perform a comparative primary study of the climate change assumptions, risk perceptions, policy preferences, observations, and knowledge of Czech farmers, governmental policy-makers and researchers. This study shows that the stakeholder groups agree that the climate is clearly changing, attribute this change mostly to man-made causes and expect the negative effects to either prevail or be unevenly geographically distributed. The large majority of all three groups consider unmitigated climate change a major threat even by 2050 and agree that preparing in advance is the best sectoral strategy. Importantly, while investment in adaptation measures is considered the most efficient tool for accelerating the implementation of adaptation measures, the CAP and EU rules (as valid in 2016) are believed to hinder such measures. The results of this study have ramifications for the wider region of Central Europe., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The review paper presents the main research topics of the XVIIIth INQUA Congress from selected sessions with contributions from the Czech participants.the results of Czech papers are highlighted and discussed in relation to progress in Quaternary research. Discussed are advances in topical subjects of international studies of Quaternary palaeoenvironments and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increasing impacts of hydro-meteorological extremes on water resources. Projections indicate a similar trend and challenge in the effectiveness of conventional engineering solutions in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies. Nature-based solutions (NbSs) have been promoted as viable approaches and measures that complement engineering solutions. While the effects of NbSs have been increasingly demonstrated, their broader implementation can be favoured by NbSs knowledge integration in higher education curricula. Knowledge on how the research practice is translated into the educational landscape is missing. This paper adopts the concept of knowledge translation and analyses the integration of NbSs in the study programs of higher education institutions in three European countries (Croatia, Czechia, and Slovenia). Specifically, it explores the extent, thematic areas, and curricular settings of NbSs related to water resources management in implemented curricula at public universities. The results show that NbSs are integrated in a limited number of courses within the relevant study programs (in the fields of, e.g., natural sciences, geography, and engineering and technology) and represent rather an extension of compulsory curricula. Bibliometric analysis revealed that most courses involving the NbSs approach still represent a personalized knowledge, i.e., developed by professors during their research activities. The barriers impairing a broader integration of NbSs in the studied programs are then discussed. Our results therefore indicate that NbSs do not represent a mainstream knowledge that would proliferate into higher education curricula through accreditations procedures, but that the knowledge that is mostly integrated through direct incremental implementation of NbSs in the individual compulsory lessons or facultative courses. We assert that without broader and systematic NbSs knowledge translation to study programs, the effectiveness of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies cannot be fully achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is related to a research project focused on tools for an evaluation and preservation of the historical value and function of arch and vaulted road bridges. It deals with the beginning of use of concrete vaulted and arch bridges in the area of the Czech Republic from the first structures built at the end of the 19th century up to the time just before the WWII. The paper includes examples of built structures as well as a general summary and development of the used technical solutions. Important part of the paper is a proposal of criterions for evaluation of their structural and historical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With their rich Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age archives, the Circumharz region, the Czech Republic/Lower Austria region, and the Northern Alpine Foreland are well-suited for research on potential links between human activities and climate fluctuations of this period with pronounced archaeological changes. In this paper, we reconstruct the rate and density of the available 14C data from 5500 to 3500 calBP (3550–1550 BCE). We ask to what extent population patterns varied over time and space, and whether fluctuations in human populations and their activities varied with local/regional climate changes. To answer these questions, we have compiled an extensive list of published radiocarbon dates and created 14C sum calibrations for each region. We also compare population dynamics with local and regional palaeoclimate records derived from high-resolution speleothems. At the regional scale, the results suggest a causal relationship between regional climate and population trends. Climate and associated environmental changes were thus at least partly responsible for demographic trends. These results also allow us to question the motivation for the construction of so-called "Early Bronze Age princely tombs" in the Circumharz region during a period of population decline. Among other things, it can be argued that the upper echelons of society may have benefited from trade relations. However, this process was accompanied by ecological stress, a cooling of the winter climate, a decline in the total population and an increase in social inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought and heat events are becoming more frequent in Europe due to human-induced climate change, affecting many aspects of human well-being and ecosystem functioning. However, the intensity of these drought and heat events is not spatially and temporally uniform. Understanding the spatial variability of drought impacts is important information for decision makers, supporting both planning and preparations to cope with the changing climatic conditions. Currently, data relating to the damage caused by extended drought episodes is scattered across languages and sources such as scientific publications, governmental reports and the media. In this review paper, we compiled data of damages caused by the drought and heat of 2018 until 2022 in forest ecosystems and relate it to large European data sets, providing support for decision making both on the regional and European levels. We partitioned data from 16 European countries to the following regions: Northern, Central, Alpine, and South. We focused on drought and heat damage to forests, and categorized them as (1) physiological (2) pest, and (3) fire damage. We were able to identify the following key trends: (1) Relative defoliation rates of broadleaves is higher than of conifers in every country with the exception of Czech Republic (2) the incidence of wood destroyed by insects is extremely high in Central Europe and Sweden (3) Although forest fires can be related to heat and drought, they are superimposed by other anthropogenic influences (4) In this period (2018–2022), forests in central Europe are particularly affected, while forests in the Northern and Alpine zones are less affected, and adaptations to heat and drought can still be observed in the Southern zone. (5) Although in several regions 2021 was an average year still high levels of damages were observed indicating strong legacy effects of 2018–2020. We note that the inventory should be continuously updated as new data appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountains are one of the most sensitive regions in terms of climate changes. This also concerns water balance, which plays an important role, especially in the context of the ecological state. Furthermore, numerous studies indicate the atmospheric circulation as one of the crucial factors affecting climate conditions. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to examine the impact of the atmospheric circulation on the changes in climate water balance (CWB) in the Sudetes Mountains and their foreland. The analysis was carried out based on the 1981–2020 data derived from the Polish and Czech meteorological stations. The impact of the circulation factor was examined using the Lityński classification, while the calculation of evapotranspiration based on the Penman–Monteith equation. The results showed that despite positive trends for evapotranspiration, the changes in CWB in 1981–2020 were generally statistically insignificant. The only exception was the increase in CWB under the eastern circulation and its negative tendency for the western and southern sectors for some of the stations. This corresponds to the changes in the frequency of the circulation types. The results of the study can be used in further research on water balance in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the changing climatic conditions, the Czech and Slovakian vegetation has been vertically divided into Forest Vegetation Zones (FVZs) units. Each FVZ is represented by a specific tree species, i.e., the oaks (Quercus sp.), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Turra). The FVZ concept has been applied in the Czechoslovakian forestry classification practice since the 1950s. Due to the broad time span of the studied topic, this article is divided into five chapters regarding the evolution of the FVZ concept. Its currently applied form was established primarily in the 1970s on the grounds of data gathered during two decades of forest typology research. An FVZ unit has become an upper unit of the Czech Forest Ecosystem Classification since its legislative codification in the Forest Act (289/1995) in 1995. To this day, however, the FVZ concept has not been reassessed by advanced, multi-dimensional statistical methods. This paper aims to describe key moments of the development of this concept and provide a perspective on its limitations, also in connection with current trends in ecological research. This review aims to provide a better understanding of the forest vegetation-environment relationship in the Czech Republic in relation to climate change, indirect anthropogenic environmental impact, and prediction of forest and landscape ecosystems response [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of climate change on forest ecosystems may manifest itself by a shift in forest vegetation zones in the landscape northward and into higher elevations. Studies of climate change-induced vegetation zone shifts in forest ecosystems have been relatively rare in the context of European temperate zone (apart from Alpine regions). The presented paper outlines the results of a biogeographic model of climatic conditions in forest vegetation zones applied in the Central European landscape. The objective of the study is a prediction of future silvicultural conditions for the Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), which is one of the principal tree species within European forests. The model is based on a general environmental dependence of forest vegetation zones on the long-term effect of altitudinal and exposure climates defined by the mean and extreme air temperatures and the amount and distribution of atmospheric precipitation. The climatological data for the model were provided by a validated regional climate database for 2010 – 2090 according to the SRES A1B scenario, bound to specific geo-referenced points in the landscape. The geobiocoenological data in the model were provided by the Biogeography Register database which contains ecological data on the landscape bound to individual cadastres of the entire Czech Republic. The biogeographic model applies special programs (the FORTRAN programming language) in the environment of geographic information systems. The model outputs can be clearly graphically visualized as scenarios of predicted future climatic conditions of landscape vegetation zones. Modelling of the regional scenario of changes in the climatic conditions of forest vegetation zones reveals that in the prediction period of 2070 and beyond, good and very good climatic conditions for the cultivation of forests with dominant Norway spruce will be found only in some parts of its today's native range in forest vegetation zones 5 – 8. Based on the results provided by the regional scenario, the authors of this paper recommend fundamental reassessment of the national strategy of sustainable forest management in the Czech Republic, stipulating that the current practice of spruce cultivation be reduced only to areas specifically defined by the biogeographic model. The paper shows that biogeographic models based on the concept of vegetation zoning can be applied not only in regional scenarios of climate change in the landscape but also as support tools for the creation of strategies of sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows a large-scale shift in agroclimatic zones in the territory of the Czech Republic (CR) between 1961 and 2019. The method used for agroclimatic zoning took advantage of high-resolution (0.5 km × 0.5 km) daily climate data collected from 268 climatological and 787 rain-gauge stations. The climate information was combined with soil and terrain data at the same resolution. The set of seven agroclimatic indicators allowed us to estimate rates of changes in agroclimatic conditions over the 1961-2019 period, including changes in the air temperature regime, global radiation, drought, frost risks and snow cover occurrence. These indicators are relevant for all main crops and agroclimatic zoning and account for local soil and slope conditions. The study clearly highlights major shifts in the type and extent of agroclimatic zones between 1961-2000 and 2000-2019, which led to the occurrence of entirely new combinations of agroclimatic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil is an irreplaceable natural resource, with irreplaceable ecosystem functions. One of the greatest risks of soil degradation in the Czech Republic is accelerated erosion, which causes numerous damages to soil properties with negative impacts on the environment. The climate development in recent decades and its forecasts may further intensify these processes. This article deals with the analysis of the impacts of changes in selected climatic factors on the development of erosion processes, which in the conditions of the Czech Republic are influenced mainly by the development of precipitation in the growing season and the development of the values of erosion potential of water released by snowmelt in the winter (non-growing) period. The analysis was carried out on a total area of 459.5 km2, in different morphological and climatic conditions. The impact of climate change was assessed using historical and updated values of rain erosivity and snow erosion potential factors. The results show an increase in the risk of erosive loss in the growing season for all the analysed areas, while the values of erosive loss in the non-growing period differ from each other depending on the climatic and morphological conditions of the areas under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extremely dynamic development of calamities caused by the effects of global climate change followed by the spread of under-bark insect pests mainly in coniferous stands and the ongoing incidental felling have raised concerns in the woodworking industry about the developments in the source material with respect to ensuring production in a short-term view. Since the overall standing stock in spruce stands of all age classes in the Czech Republic amounts to 399.6 million m3 (2017-2026) and the theoretical outlook of the logging potential based on the percentage of logging accounts for 112.62 million m³ (2017-2026), the concerns might be deemed justified. The article presents an updated view of the current situation based on official statistics and offers an analytic prediction of the possible development, considering the possible consequences, even in the production of the forestry sector. The statistical data on the current situation have been compiled for the last two decades of development. The results show that with a continued high rate of bark beetle calamities, assuming a total annual cutting with a permanent limitation on the planned harvests of more than 30 million m3, the complete stands of spruce from age class 5 onwards could be harvested in approximately 14-16 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impact on avalanches is ambiguous. Fewer, wetter, and smaller avalanches are expected in areas where snow cover is declining, while in higher-altitude areas where snowfall prevails, snow avalanches are frequently and spontaneously triggered. In the present paper, we (1) analyse trends in frequency, magnitude, and orientation of wet- and slab-avalanche activity during 59 winter seasons (1962–2021) and (2) detect the main meteorological and snow drivers of wet and slab avalanches for winter seasons from 1979 to 2020 using machine learning techniques – decision trees and random forest – with a tool that can balance the avalanche-day and non-avalanche-day dataset. In terms of avalanches, low to medium–high mountain ranges are neglected in the literature. Therefore we focused on the low-altitude Czech Krkonoše mountain range (Central Europe). The analysis is based on an avalanche dataset of 60 avalanche paths. The number and size of wet avalanches in February and March have increased, which is consistent with the current literature, while the number of slab avalanches has decreased in the last 3 decades. More wet-avalanche releases might be connected to winter season air temperature as it has risen by 1.8 ∘C since 1979. The random forest (RF) results indicate that wet avalanches are influenced by 3 d maximum and minimum air temperature, snow depth, wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall. Slab-avalanche activity is influenced by snow depth, rainfall, new snow, and wind speed. Based on the balanced RF method, air-temperature-related variables for slab avalanches were less important than rain- and snow-related variables. Surprisingly, the RF analysis revealed a less significant than expected relationship between the new-snow sum and slab-avalanche activity. Our analysis allows the use of the identified wet- and slab-avalanche driving variables to be included in the avalanche danger level alerts. Although it cannot replace operational forecasting, machine learning can allow for additional insights for the decision-making process to mitigate avalanche hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people's lives will be influenced by climate change and, in turn, climate change may itself be influenced by their future behaviour. Environmental education has thus to rise to the challenge of providing students with knowledge that will go beyond the simply factual and enable an understanding of the complexity of climate change. This paper follows on from our previous study of Czech students' beliefs concerning the usefulness of mitigation measures and their willingness to act, and investigates students' knowledge of climate change and the role that this plays in their beliefs. The results suggest that, when compared with their upper-primary and female counterparts, secondary-school and male students possess a higher degree of understanding of the complex issues of the causes and consequences of climate change and the underlying principles of the greenhouse effect. The positive influence of school education is manifested in the differences in the believed efficacy of mitigation actions which are less pronounced, and the beliefs higher in general, among secondary-school students. Students who exhibit a higher level of climate change knowledge, namely those with the ability to apply a more complex perception of climate change, more frequently believe in the efficacy of climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the effect of environmental factors and management on various mixed lowland forests in the Medník National Natural Monument, Czech Republic, over a 20-year period. The objectives were to evaluate the structure, production, dynamics and radial growth in relation to climatic conditions in the mixed hornbeam-oak, herb- -rich beech and spruce forest stands. The tree density decreased by 8.5% (to 120-1,364 trees·ha-1), while stand volume increased by 28.0% (to 244-767 m3·ha-1) from 1998 to 2018. Large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos Scop.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ Karst.) showed high variability and sensitivity to climatic factors in radial growth compared to stability and resistance in sessile oak (Quercus petraea /Matt./ Liebl.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). April, June and July were determined as the most significant months in relation to diameter increment. The synergism of precipitation deficit and high air temperature was a limiting factor of growth in the studied lowland area. The frequency of negative pointer years with extremely low radial growth has been increasing recently. Generally, hornbeam-oak stands are characterized by rich structure, high density and lower productivity, herb-rich beech stands represent rich structured productive forests and spruce forests are very productive stands but with low ecological stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth, structure and production of mixed beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests were analysed in the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area, Czech Republic. The objective of the paper was to evaluate stand structure, timber production and dynamics of forests with historically different silvicultural practices in relation to climate conditions, management and game damage. The results indicate that scree forests (coppices and coppices with standards) were stands with high-rich species diversity and structure compared to herb-rich beech forests (high forests) with higher timber production. The Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) was the most sensitive tree species compared to low growth variability in European beech. The climate factors had the highest effect on radial growth from June to August. Natural regeneration showed great density potential (13,880-186,462 recruits·ha-1), especially in expansion of maples and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.). However, recruits were seriously limiting by damage caused by hoofed game, especially in silver fir (Abies alba Mill.; 53% browsing damage), wych elm (Ulmus glabra Hudson; 51%) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.; 50%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed forests play a key role in terms of stability, production potential, and adaptation to climate change. In addition, the studied Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) belong to the most economically important tree species in Europe. The objectives were to determine the effect of the species composition of these two tree genera on the production, structure, diversity, and growth of mixed stands at lower elevations in the Czech Republic. Based on dendroecological samples, research was also carried out on the influence of climatic factors and climate change on the radial growth of these trees of interest. Mixed forests showed higher timber production by 29.8% compared to spruce and pine monocultures. The production of mature stands ranged from 328 to 479 m³·ha-1. Spruce achieved higher radial growth, but its growth variability was higher than that of pine. Compared to precipitation, temperatures had a greater influence on the radial growth of both tree species, especially in the growing season. In terms of diversity, mixed stands achieved significantly higher structural differentiation and overall diversity compared to monospecific variants. Mixed stands can achieve higher production potential, diversity, and especially resistance to climatic extremes in the lowland regions of the Czech Republic. The differences between mixed stands and monocultures, i.e. the effect of tree species mixing, depend on the appropriate proportions of tree species and their spatial pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new analysis of how global warming may affect the size of forest fires through its effects on air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The effects of attack time on the size of the final burned area were also determined simultaneously in the statistical analysis. Two nonlinear functions determining the size of fires in the Prague-East District of the Czech Republic were estimated, based on a set of explanatory variables including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and attack time. The functions were determined by multiple regression analysis combined with logarithmic transformations. The effects of climate change scenarios on future forest fires were calculated using the estimated fire-size function. The results show that if global warming leads to increased air temperature, reduced humidity, and stronger winds, we can expect larger fires. According to climate change scenarios, an upturn in the size of fires is predicted over this century. While we can control the fire by reducing the attack time, the results also show that if firefighters can reach a fire more quickly, the size of the fire will be reduced. If forest management methods, infrastructure, and fire brigade capacity are not adapted to the new climate, larger areas can be expected to be destroyed by fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the recent expansion of the Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne) in Moravia, the Czech Republic. The species is recently expanding from already well populated Bílé Karpaty Mts. to the North along and through valleys of Beskydy Mts.; across the Jablunkovský průsmyk Pass (Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts.) from Slovakia to the Northwest (first records from 2022); in Central Moravia to the West along Bečva and Morava rivers (recorded closely to Přerov city in 2022); and finally along the Czech Republic-Austria borders to the West (recently recorded from Pavlovské vrchy Hills. in 2021). The expansion is probably supported by synergistic effect of several factors: a) ruderalisation and overgrowing of marginal habitats; b) increased clear-cuts in spruce plantations due to bark beetle outbreaks; and c) increased temperatures caused by climate change. We predict that the expansion will continue to other regions of Moravia in prevailing westerly and northwesterly directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a long-term (1991-2019) flowering period of birch in the Czech Republic. Temporal and spatial evaluation in timing of beginning and end of flowering (F begin and F end ) and flowering period (F period ) of Betula pendula were investigated in different zones of the Czech Republic. The field observations were carried out at 44 sites of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute phenological network; the detailed analysis including growing degree days (GDD) evaluation to F begin and F end onsets and time of flowering were made at 9 sites in different altitudes. The trends and Pearson's correlation coefficients between F begin (F end ) and GDDs were calculated as well. The timing of both phenological stages showed a significant advance to earlier onsets (e.g., - 7.0 d per decade at Měděnec station) and the time of flowering shortens (e.g., - 3.8 d per decade at Rokytnice station). Nevertheless, the most marked shift was observed for mountain area in the north-western and north-eastern part of the Czech Republic. In contrast, the smallest shift was found in the southern part of the Czech Republic. The shift of the GDD values fluctuates from negative to positive values. Pearson's correlation coefficients calculated for both phenophases and period of flowering of Betula pendula showed the highest values in F period (e.g., 0.846 at Modrava station) and in F end (e.g., 0.711 at Rokytnice station) as well. Thus, our results indicate due to global warming symptoms that birch pollen allergy may appear earlier in the year but for a shorter period.

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is still counted among drought-tolerant tree species. However, its ability to cope with the recent extremely dry period has not yet been sufficiently studied. The objective of research was to analyse di- fferences in the climate-growth response between silver fir, Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) growing in areas with large-scale disintegration of spruce stands. In 2019-2021, the increment cores were sampled at 16 sites along the altitudinal gradient of 340-775 m a.s.l. in different regions of the Czech Republic affected by bark beetle outbreak. The radial growth pattern of fir was compared with that of spruce or larch growing under the same site conditions. In fir, the missing rings were frequently recorded during the period of peak SO2 pollution load in 1966-1985, but they were rarely identified in recent years. In spruce and larch, missing rings were less common and occurred mainly in the recent dry period after 2015. Fir was less sensitive to summer drought compared to larch and especially to spruce, which showed high sensitivity to summer drought regardless of the altitude. The significant positive response of fir to summer precipitation was recorded at sites up to 450 m a.s.l., however, its sensitivity to drought has increased in the last two decades. Hence, when considering the wider use of fir, it is necessary to respect its ecological requirements as much as possible in order to preserve its vitality and production potential in changing climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a grassroots community movement addressing climate change: the transnational Transition (Towns) movement. While this movement has mainly spread to Anglophone countries, it is almost entirely absent from Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic in particular. The aim of this paper is to explain why the Transition movement--a grassroots community initiative--has not been successfully adopted in the post-socialist Czech Republic, and why the issue of climate change has not become an important frame for the local permaculture movement which introduced the idea of Transition to the country. The paper presents an analysis of ideological frames and framing processes of the local movement. Reasons identified for the movement's absence from the Czech Republic include the fact that it was largely overshadowed by the broader post-socialist transformation in Eastern Europe, that there was little public awareness of climate change and no real culture of community organising in the post-socialist period, and that a strong climate scepticism was promoted by Czech political elites. Other reasons relate to the ideological frames of the local permaculture movement, which is centred more on prognostic and mobilising frames, combined with a positive agenda and an emphasis on practical activities, and revolves around individualised strategies and frames in which permaculture and a nature religion (Anastasian spirituality) are linked to the concept of a 'family homestead'. The research draws on in-depth interviews with permaculture practitioners, media analysis, the study of documents, and participant observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing urban development in mountain areas together with climate change increased the need for rockfall research and modeling. Determining rockfall processes and related hazard is still a difficult task because of the complexity and intrinsic stochastic nature of the physics involved. In recent years, numerical simulations of rockfall trajectories became common procedure for evaluating rockfall hazard. Increasing of model accuracy leads to the need for more specific complex calibration, appropriate combination of rockfall modeling tools, as well as careful assessment of rockfall sources, block and slope characteristics. Rockfall modeling issues have been tested in local study areas in Hřensko (Czechia) through HY-STONE 3D software. The Hřensko area is characterised by sandstone landscape with rock plateaus, deep canyons with several levels of steep cliffs, which forms favourable conditions for rockfalls. Different modeling approaches, calibration problems, dependency of model results to parameters, and proposed appropriate countermeasures are discussed. The aim of this paper is to provide a knowledge base for researchers and practitioners involved in projects dealing with rockfall protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in the Czech Republic is one of major sectors of the economy, as it provides a substantial share of the basic food requirements of the population. An important part of agricultural companies' production consists of livestock, especially because of the effective use of crop production as a source of all kinds of animal feed. It is also proven that livestock production plays a significant role in the creation and cultivation of the landscape. Czech agriculture has shown a profit since joining the EU thanks to a significant increase in subsidies. The aim of this paper is to show the impacts of the globalization of the economy and climate change on the economic performance of agricultural companies in the Czech Republic. Serious consequences of global climate change are already evident, and their intensity will grow with the ongoing warming of the planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impact on avalanches is ambiguous. Fewer, wetter, and smaller avalanches are expected in areas where snow cover is declining, while in higher altitude areas where snowfall prevails, snow avalanches are frequently and spontaneously triggered. In the present paper, we assess 39 years (winters of 1979-1999 to 2002-2020) of avalanche activity related to meteorological and snow drivers in the Krkonoše Mountains, Czechia, Central Europe. The analysis is based on an avalanche occurrence dataset for mostly south, south-easterly oriented 60 avalanche paths and related meteorological and snowpack data. Since 1979, 179/531 wet-snow/slab avalanches have been recorded. The aim is to analyze changes in avalanche activity: frequency and magnitude, and detect driving weather variables of wet and slab avalanches with quantification of variable importance. Especially, the number of wet avalanches in February and March has increased in the last three decades, while the number of slab avalanches has decreased with decadal variability. Medium, large, and very large slab avalanches seem to decline with decadal variability since 1961. The results indicate that wet avalanches are influenced by 3-day maximum and minimum air temperature, snow depth, wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall. Slab avalanche activity is determined by snow depth, rainfall, new snow, and wind speed. Air temperature-related variables for slab avalanches were less important than rain and snow-related variables based on the balanced random forest (RF) method. Surprisingly, the RF analysis revealed less significant relationship between new snow sum and slab avalanche activity. This could be because of the wind redistributing snow in storms in low altitude mountains. Our analysis allows the use of the identified wet and slab avalanche driving variables to be included in the avalanche danger levels alerts. Although it cannot replace operational forecasting, machine learning can allow for additional insights for the decision-making process to mitigate avalanche hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recurring floods and droughts in the Czech Republic show that climate change requires far-reaching changes in water management. We analyse the responses already reflected in Czech water policy and legislation at three levels: strategic, statutory and constitutional. We first describe the substantial changes that have been satisfactorily introduced into the Czech government's policies. We then trace the far less successful developments in the law, which have so far essentially been limited to drought plans and restrictions on water extraction during droughts. At the core, we concentrate on the political attempts to constitutionalize water protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregated consideration of both climate and socio-economic change in a coarse spatial resolution is a central feature for scenario development in global change research. Downscaling of the supposed aggregated changes is a necessary prerequisite for the assessments of global change at the regional scale. The present paper describes the method and results of an approach to develop and to apply scenarios of socio-economic change at a sub-national level, which are consistent with global change scenarios. National and regional models of economic and demographic development are used to regionalise drivers of socio-economic change. Scenario results are subsequently applied in order to analyse the impacts of socio-economic and climatic changes on water management issues in the Elbe river basin. Starting from global IPCC-Emissions Scenarios and taking up their key points, we formulate two scenarios for the German and Czech parts of the Elbe catchment areas. We present a system of demographic and economic models, designed to consistently project socio-economic developments at a national and sub-national level and, thus, to quantitatively illustrate our scenarios. The results show that in a scenario that assumes continued globalisation and emphasis on economic growth, export orientation will result in a comparatively high share of manufacturing. Growth spreads from centres to peripheral regions. Still, at the national level, the increase in population and employment will be modest and create little additional pressure, but water stress will be considerably stronger on a regional basis, namely in metropolitan areas such as Prague, Berlin and Hamburg. In a scenario where economic goals are balanced with ecologic and social ones, growth is weaker and the weight of the service sector increases more rapidly, thus easing the driving forces for overall water demand and pollution. However, as in this scenario regional metropolitan centres develop at the cost of peripheral regions, regional development is more selective and the driving forces for potential water stress will diverge spatially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water demand management stresses the crucial roles of water user motivations in balancing actual water availability and competing human needs. This paper shows how the absence of such motivations influences artificial water scarcity, even in resource-abundant countries, and how slight modifications to economic instruments (surface water charges in particular) might solve the problem. Data from the Czech Republic are used to illustrate the rationale behind the artificial scarcity problem and its solution. A model with feedback based on historical surface water abstraction data is built to simulate the impacts of different payment modification scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European forests are facing ongoing climate change, and certain tree species are being critically impacted. The Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is one of the most sensitive species to climate fluctuations, a fact manifesting itself through massive dieback resulting in a lack of high-quality timber and timber market destabilization. Therefore, the possibility of wood substitution with non-native spruce species, namely, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) Britt., Sterns, et Poggenburg), Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk.), and blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.), under the specific conditions of forest reclamations with great potential for future afforestation was tested. Wood density, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity were used to evaluate wood quality in comparison with native Norway spruce. The results confirmed that only the Serbian spruce reached the quality of Norway spruce and even exceeded it in terms of wood density (P. omorika 525 kg·m−3 vs. P. abies 517 kg·m−3) and exhibited comparable parameters with regard to other properties. The density of the other species was significantly lower for blue spruce (476 kg·m−3) and black spruce (468 kg·m−3). A similar trend was found for other wood parameters, which confirmed that Norway spruce quality was nearly comparable with that of Serbian spruce. On the other hand, black spruce and blue spruce did not match the quality of Norway spruce. The within-stem variability of the properties tested was low for all the spruce species examined. In conclusion, the Serbian spruce showed great potential for future usage in forest management and is one of the possible methods of Norway spruce replacement in times of unprecedented forest disturbances under the effects of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bohemian Switzerland is a national park in Northern Czechia famous for its sandstone rocks, which were affected by a massive fire in 2022. Specific geomorphology of the region affected the spreading of the fire and complicated its extinguishing. The fire directly or indirectly damaged several geosites in Bohemian Switzerland. The catastrophe brought a possibility of showing the unique connection between geoheritage and present climate change and increasing awareness about the problems. The text is focused on field education of geography, striving to strengthen environmental awareness among students through educating their teachers. The research is based on desk research, field observation and didactic principles application. The causes of the fire were complex, including physical geographical (drought and bark beetle calamity within climate change) and human geographical phenomena (mass tourism and tourist misbehavior, inappropriate forestry practices). The teachers we worked with reached similar conclusions at the end of our course. Our fieldwork educational concept proved viable and was appreciated by them mainly thanks to the incorporation of research-based learning and the absence of unnatural emphasis on climate change. Climate change is a politicized topic, bringing controversies to the classrooms in the peripheral region. The approach we proposed is anchored in inquiry-based methods and touches on the issue indirectly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), which are used as replacements for ozone-depleting substances, have risen sharply since 1995. The rapid increase in F-gas emissions coupled with their global warming potential (GWP) has led to increased worldwide attention to monitoring emission levels and subsequently regulating the use of F-gases. These restrictions apply in particular to applications for which alternative technologies are available that are more economically efficient and have minor or no impact on the Earth's climate system. This paper brings new information about changes in composition of consumed F-gases in the Czech Republic. Since no F-gases are produced in the country, data about F-gas consumption are obtained from three resources which give information about import and export. The paper also describes implementation of newly used F-gases, which are used as replacements for specific F-gases, into emission calculation models. Emissions are estimated according to the methodology developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Although consumption of F-gases with high GWP has already started decreasing, it will have no effect on F-gas emissions for several years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The achievement of sustainable forest management requires the incorporation of ongoing environmental changes into long-term planning. Moreover, in time of climatic change and changing company demands, importance of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is still increasing at the expense of other tree species due to its low ecological requirements. The aim of the study was to compare the structure and production of Scots pine stands managed under different silvicultural systems on four research plots, assess the structural and diversity indices, and analyse the increment structure using tree-ring dating in the Czech Republic and Spain. Area of study was Western Bohemian and Guadarrama Mountain range in Central Spain. The results indicate that stand volume on the investigated plots ranged from 231 to 441 m3·ha-1 with tree density 276-996 trees·ha-1. Intensively managed (uneven-aged) permanent research plots showed increased growth on basal area. The difference was evident also for older trees. The transition to uneven-aged forest does not negatively influence stocking and wood production and provide higher benefits for diversity and structural complexity in comparison to regular stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health impact attributable to climate change has been identified as one of the priority areas for impact assessment. The main goal of this paper is to estimate the monetary value of one key health effect, which is premature mortality. Specifically, our goal is to derive the value of a statistical life from people's willingness to pay for avoiding the risk of dying in one post-transition country in Europe, i.e., the Czech Republic. We carried out a series of conjoint choice experiments in order to value mortality risk reductions. We found the responses to the conjoint choice questions to be reasonable and consistent with the economic paradigm. The VSL is about EUR 2.4 million, and our estimate is comparable with the value of preventing a fatality as used in one of the integrated assessment models. To investigate whether carrying out the survey through the internet may violate the welfare estimate, we administered our questionnaire to two independent samples of respondents using two different modes of survey administration. The results show that the VSLs for the two groups of respondents are €2.25 and €2.55 million, and these figures are statistically indistinguishable. However, the key parameters of indirect utility between the two modes of survey administration are statistically different when specific subgroups of population, such as older respondents, are concerned. Based on this evidence, we conclude that properly designed and administered on-line surveys are a reliable method for administering questionnaires, even when the latter are cognitively challenging. However, attention should be paid to sampling and choice regarding the mode of survey administration if the preference of specific segments of the population is elicited.

A recent rise in the global brewery sector has increased the demand for high-quality, late summer hops. The effects of ongoing and predicted climate change on the yield and aroma of hops, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we combine meteorological measurements and model projections to assess the climate sensitivity of the yield, alpha content and cone development of European hops between 1970 and 2050 CE, when temperature increases by 1.4 °C and precipitation decreases by 24 mm. Accounting for almost 90% of all hop-growing regions, our results from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia show that hop ripening started approximately 20 days earlier, production declined by almost 0.2 t/ha/year, and the alpha content decreased by circa 0.6% when comparing data before and after 1994 CE. A predicted decline in hop yield and alpha content of 4–18% and 20–31% by 2050 CE, respectively, calls for immediate adaptation measures to stabilize an ever-growing global sector. The effects of climate change on the yield and aroma of beer hops remains unknown. Here the authors demonstrate a climate-induced decline in the quality and quantity of traditional aroma hops across Europe and calls for urgent adaptation measures to stabilize international market chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in climatic conditions increase risks associated with crop production in certain regions. Early detection of these changes enables the implementation of suitable adaptation measures in the local area, thereby stabilising agricultural production. Our analysis shows a significant shift in climatic conditions in Czechia between 1961 and 2020. We examined the changes in observed temperature conditions, precipitation distribution, drought occurrences, and frost incidents at a high resolution (0.5 × 0.5 km). The outputs show a significant increase in air temperatures and drought occurrence. Temperature totals above 5 °C in 1991–2020 were 15% higher than in 1961–1990. Furthermore, the relative change in totals above 10 °C was 26% after 1991. Over the last 30 years, drought incidence was four times more frequent than in 1961–1990, particularly in spring. In contrast, no significant changes in the distribution of precipitation occurred, and there was a slight decrease in the probability of frost during the growing season. Ongoing climate change brings warmer and drier conditions to higher-altitude regions in Czechia. Assessing climatic conditions on a global scale is less precise for relatively small and topographically diverse countries like Czechia due to coarse resolution. Therefore, a high-resolution analysis is more appropriate for these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the impact of weather and fertilization treatments (Control, PK, NPK1, NPK2, and NPK3) on winter wheat grain yields in a long-term trial in Ivanovice, Czech Republic, established in 1956. A total of 15 seasons were evaluated. The mean, maximal, and minimal temperatures in Ivanovice have been significantly increasing since 1961, with annual increases of 0.04 °C, 0.03 °C, and 0.05 °C, respectively. Precipitation has been decreasing annually by −0.54 mm (trend is insignificant). Four significant correlations between weather and grain yield were recorded. There were positive correlations between mean (r = 0.7) and minimal (r = 0.5) temperatures in November and negative correlations between mean temperatures in May (r = −0.6) and June (r = −0.6). The combination of naturally fertile chernozem soil and a beneficial preceding crop (alfalfa) enables sustainable cultivation of wheat, even without mineral fertilizers. The application of mineral nitrogen (N) significantly increases wheat grain yield and yield stability. Without mineral N or with high doses of mineral N, yield stability decreases. According to two response models (quadratic and quadratic-plateau), a reasonable dose of fertilizer is 107 kg ha−1 N for modern wheat varieties, corresponding to a yield of 8.1 t ha−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of climate change, Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) is dying across Europe. One of the primary reasons for this is the cultivation of unsuitable spruce provenances and ecotypes. This study deals with the growth and genetics of the ecotypes of Norway spruce, the most important tree species of the Czech Republic. At the study site, namely Cukrák, an experimental site was established in 1964 to plant three basic spruce ecotypes: low-elevation (LE), medium-elevation (ME) and high-elevation (HE) ecotype. A dendrometric inventory, dendrochronological sampling and genetic analyses were carried out on individual trees in 45 to 46 years old spruce stands. The ME ecotype was the most productive in terms of its carbon sequestration potential, while the HE ecotype had the lowest radial growth. All ecotypes exhibited a noteworthy negative correlation between tree-ring growth and seasonal temperature, annual temperature, previous year September to current year August temperature, June to July temperature, as well as individual monthly temperatures from previous May to current August. The relationship of annual and seasonal precipitation to growth was significant only for the LE and ME ecotypes, but precipitation from previous year September to current year August and precipitation from current June to July were the most significant for all ecotypes, where the ME had the highest r value. The HE ecotype does not adapt well to a dry climate and appears to be unsuitable compared to the other ecotypes under the studied conditions. This study also documented intra-population genetic variation within years of low growth, as evidenced by significant clonal heritability. The selection of the appropriate spruce ecotypes is essential for the stability and production of future stands and should become an important pillar of forest adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A new food and feed self-sufficiency model for the Czech Republic (RESTEP) was applied for the evaluation of possible adverse climate impacts uniformly reducing crop production by 5, 10, 20, and 30%. The situation was simulated for the whole country and four different agriculturally important regions. Biomass production modeling confirmed that for the whole country, the food self-sufficiency is secured up to 20% of yield decline for most crops, but even 5% yield decline of silage maize would lead to its shortage in animal feeding. On the other hand, regional results vary significantly. Regions Jižní Morava and Střední Čechy shown oversupply of feedstuff allowing them to cover the demands of cattle and pigs up to 20% or 30% decline of yield, respectively. The opposite model represents the Vysočina (VY) region which is not able to cover the demands from own sources even at the baseline scenario. The acreage extension of maize is not possible due to erosion risk restrictions at 25% of arable land at VY. The possible solution consists of extension acreage of alfalfa and clover or finding other plants sufficient for feeding as well for biogas facilities in regions rich in biomass energy consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this article is to predict the further development of the market price of farmland in Czechia. As part of this goal, the environmental and socio-economic factors affecting the quantity and quality of farmland and, subsequently, the amount of its market price will be discussed. In addition to the quality of the farmland, the market price of individual plots of land is influenced by a number of other factors, such as the size and shape of the plot, location, erosion risk, the concluded usufructuary lease agreements, competition from buyers in the vicinity, and other factors. The average market price of farmland in Czechia was 29.4 CZK/m2 in 2021, which represents an increase of 16.1% against the amount of 25.3 CZK/m2 in 2020. According to the results of the statistical analysis, it is possible to assume a constant increase in the prices of farmland precisely because of the ever-decreasing area of land intended for agricultural production. Another factor for the increase in prices can be increased inflation. In 2027, market prices for farmland could reach up to 40 CZK per m2. Nevertheless, Czechia is among the countries with the lowest market price of farmland; the price is even lower than in neighboring Poland or Spain. This also contributes to the fact that the market prices of farmland in Czechia are increasing at a relatively fast pace every year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]