Šumava Peatlands
You will visit unique and rare peatlands in the Šumava National Park, including valley bogs, fens and riparian wetlands. These peatlands are characteristic of the Vltava River floodplain. Many of these beautiful and rare peatlands were drained in the past, and some were even mined, but large areas have been restored in recent years. During the excursion, you will visit undisturbed, drained/mined, and restored peatlands and streams, giving you the opportunity to observe how the restoration process and ecological succession are progressing.
Most of the restoration measures were done within the international project „Transboundary restoration of mires for biodiversity and landscape hydrology in Šumava and Bavarian Forest - LIFE for MIRES, 2018-2024). From 2018 till 2024, 2,200 ha restorations were completed, 212 kilometers of ditches blocked and 35 kilometers of streams were restored. Today, most of the restored sites are left to natural succession, although some minor management activities are still carried out on a few of them, such as repairing wooden dams in the ditches or supporting plant development. Monitoring of vegetation, hydrological parameters, and soil characteristics has been carried out by the Šumava National Park and the University of South Bohemia at selected sites, and it is still ongoing at some of them.
