White Carpathians - Protected Areas
U PETRUVKY
This small-scale protected area was designated to protect a species-rich meadow with the Green-winged Orchid.
The orchid (Orchis morio) is one of the most valuable plant species of this site. One could easily deduce that the first part of its Latin name Orchis means orchid. The second part morio means a “fool” or “jester” and probably refers to the colourful purple, green-veined flowers which may remind you of a jester’s hat.
Until the 1950s, this orchid had been one of the most common species in this country. Since then, however, more that 80% of its sites have degraded, causing the orchid to disappear from them. And the reason? With the vision of high yields of crops and hay, socialist cooperative farms ploughed in large areas of hay meadows and started using excessive and repeated doses of fertilizers. Orchids can be seen as soil pollution indicators: they live in a symbiotic relationship with certain kinds of fungi, which are very sensitive to fertilization and can be completely decimated by it; if the fungi die, the orchids die with them.
Type of protected area under CZ national legislation: Nature Monument
Managed by: the state, through Bile Karpaty (White Carpathians) Protected Landscape Area Administration
Practical site management: state financed, conducted by local farmers (sub-contracted)
In the past, the biodiversity was significantly decreased by excessive use of fertilizers. The nature conservation efforts aim at a return to a more favourable status.
Contact
Vzdělávací a informační středisko Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s.
Marie Petrů
Bartolomějské náměstí 47, 698 01 Veselí nad Moravou
Tel.:518 322 545
e-mail:visbk@bilekarpaty.cz
http://bilekarpaty.cz/vis
