Selected environmental issues of the landscape of shale (Nízký Jeseník Mt., Czechia) – preliminary results

The area of the Nízký Jeseník Mts. is, among other things, well known for its shale roofing tiles since the 18th century. In places where shale was intensively or extensively exploited until 1945, abandoned areas after mining works remained. In general, every mining is perceived as a activity of landscape degradation by the public. However, these indelible traces of shale mining in the form of various mining-related objects (e.g. abandoned quarries, quarry ponds, shafts, drains etc.) are also gradually becoming places that are colonised by unique plant and animal communities. There are very interesting species bond to specific environmental conditions of post-mining landscape, with frequent rare and endangered species. People have also become ‘new’ colonisers in the case of the shale landscape.