Karel Prach

Professor of Botany at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. He is one of the founders of the European chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration and introduced restoration ecology to the Czech Republic. He currently serves as President of the Czech Botanical Society.

His research focuses on vegetation succession and its applications in ecological restoration. He is widely known for his work on primary succession and the development of ecosystems on disturbed sites, including post-mining landscapes, sand pits, spoil heaps, river floodplains, and abandoned fields. His studies have significantly advanced the understanding of spontaneous succession as a tool for ecological restoration and compared technical reclamation with natural recovery processes.

His work integrates long-term field research with applied restoration, emphasizing biodiversity development, ecosystem trajectories, and low-intervention management approaches. He has also contributed to linking restoration practice with ecological theory and promoting cost-effective, nature-based restoration strategies.