SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF FLOODPLAIN FORESTS OF THE TEMPERATE ZONE OF EUROPE (CASE STUDY FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC)

This paper deals with the conservation and sustainable management of floodplain forest ecosystems in the temperate zones of Europe using practical experience from the Czech Republic. The fundamental objectives of protecting these ecosystems stem from the fact that most of the surviving remnants of floodplain forests in the Czech Republic meet the attributes of ancient woodlands. The framework scientific basis for the conservation and management of floodplain forest ecosystems consist in landscape ecological theories relating to the Central European floodplain landscape. The principles of floodplain forests conservation respect their integration into the European network Natura 2000. The strategy of floodplain forests sustainable management has been formulated pursuant to the application of umbrella species theory and the ecosystem approach.