National Biodiversity Strategy of the Czech Republic.

National Biodiversity Strategy of the Czech Republic is a national sectoral strategy covering the period 2005-2015. Overall, the document aspires to achieve conservation of biological diversity; sustainable use of components of biological diversity; and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
The Strategy is oriented towards sustainable development and ecosystem preservation. Namely, it provides for increasing the capacity for Specially Protected Area planning, management and administration at the national and sub-national (regional) level; identifying trends in ecosystems and wildlife species at the national level; systematically improving communication at the national and local level, improving the involvement of nongovernmental organizations and all stakeholders in the Specially Protected Area management and in other instruments of in-situ biodiversity conservation; creating suitable political, institutional and socio-economic instruments, tools and ways for in-situ biodiversity conservation, including incentive measures in the framework of sectoral plans, strategies and policies; ensuring economic effectiveness of investments in relation to benefits, consisting in the biodiversity conservation or restoration; and providing financial support to technological interventions leading to an increase in the adaptive capabilities of ecosystems.
Further, the Strategy plans to maintain farming on existing grasslands; to promote and support environmentally sound farming characterized by high heterogeneity (technological approaches, quantity, type and application of fertilizers and plant protection preparations, sewing procedures, etc.); to encourage such technologies that, not only increase productivity, but also reduce degradation as well as restore and enhance biodiversity; to encourage maintenance of traditional crop varieties and farm animals breeds; and to encourage farming by minor entities and enhance the capacity of local and owners of land and rural communities for sustainable use of biodiversity on agriculturally managed land and promote public awareness. The document also envisages to encourage environmentally sound means of tourism; to support and protect the landscape character / scenery of the territory and its features, such as isolated trees, green strips along highways and roads, sources of drinking water, wetlands and minor water reservoirs and water courses; to accelerate implementation of land consolidation/replotting; to integrate new methods on evaluation of the carrying capacity and vulnerability of the landscape and protection of landscape values in land-use planning; and to fully implement the commitments raising for the Czech Republic as a Contracting Party to the European Landscape Convention.
In the area of disaster preparedness, the Strategy plans to ensure sustainable farming in the landscape, with respect to the principles of good agricultural practice and with support for development of organic farming as well as to introduce a system of measures preventing eutrophication, erosion and excessive transport of sediments in the cultural landscape. Moreover, the objectives for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity with respect to the climate change include supporting research of impact of the climate change and increased climate variability on biodiversity and the response of ecosystems to the climate change; estimating the potential for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within adaptation measures prepared for mitigating the impact of the climate change; encouraging gradual introduction of suitable adaptation measures; and strengthening the mutual interaction of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity in the context of sustainable development, both on the scale of international cooperation and particularly on the national and regional scale.
The Strategy was prepared by the Department for the International Conservation of Biodiversity of the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture. All parts of the document were prepared by and consulted with experts in organizations under other Ministries, sectors, etc., scientific and research institutions, universities and with key partners. Lastly, a viewpoint on the document was also provided by non-governmental organizations.