The unique Giant Mountains range is the richest natural region in the Czech Republic and occupies a special position among the mountain ranges. It is the highest Czech mountain range, the Czech summit being
Snezka (1602 m). Apart from the Alps and the Carpathian mountain, it is highest Central Europe. The Giant Mountains range is characterized by a wide plateau 1300 to 1500 meters above sea level from which the most attractive peaks rise. It is the most important Czech touristic region.
The 363 km
2 Krkonose National Park was established in 1963. Being a national park has not protected its forests. Estimates suggest that as much as 25% of them have been damaged, grotesquely, by acid rain, due to massive industrialization in northern Bohemia and throughout central Europe.
The steep flanks of the Krkonose (the Giant Mountains), forming the border between Poland and the Czech Republic, fall sharply into the interior. The entire mountain area is
a paradise for skiers and mountaineers.
The Krkonose Mountains are a unique mountain region bordered between the Czech Republic and Poland. During their geological evolution, northern and alpine ecosystems mixed here. The surprisingly rich biodiversity is reflected in the occurrence of a number of endemic and glacial relics. For this reason, on both sides of the state border, national parks have been established.
More than 80 % of the National Park and its transition zone is covered by forest ecosystems that are closely connected with the ecosystems of alpine grasses, sub-alpine peat bogs, glacial corries, and flower-rich mountain meadows.
Very precious botanical, zoological and geomorphological localities can also be found on forested sites. Evidently, forest management must be adapted appropriately to the nature values of those sites.
National Park, National Trust land, Preserve or protected species are terms which refer to nature conservation in the Czech Republic. And what about "biosphere reserve"? What is the meaning of such a term? Even thpugh the legislation of our country does not mention such a term, it more and more often appears as a description of large protected areas in the Czech Repubic.
Already in 1970, the UNESCO organisation published one of their best-known programs, called "Man and the Biosphere". At the same time they recommended that an extra attention to exploitation and protection of the genetic resources is paid, as well as to the methods of conservation of the representative ecosystems and the initial stations of fauna and flora. By publishing the document, the cornerstone for a co-ordinated chain of biosphere reserves was laid.
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