Poodří Protected Landscape Area ( cs, Chráněná krajinná oblast Poodří) is a protected landscape area in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It was declared on 1 May 1991.

Geography

The protected landscape area aims to preserve the harmoniously shaped landscape of the floodplain of the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

River and its tributaries, with natural processes of the riverine ecosystem, characterized by a mosaic of meadow alluvial vegetation, floodplain forest stands, a significant presence of non-forest tree species, old river arms, permanent and periodic ponds, springs on river terrace slopes, and ponds with a diverse flora and fauna. It serves as an important stopover for migratory waterbirds and has natural landscape values based on the preserved dynamics of natural river processes of meandering streams and surface flooding regimes. The protection also includes wetland communities and associated rare and specially protected plant and animal species, the distribution and urban structure of municipalities, including preserved historical settlement sites, and the protection objects of the European Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas of Poodří and Cihelna Kunín. The Poodří PLA is located in the Nový Jičín and Ostrava-City districts of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The PLA stretches between Jeseník nad Odrou and Ostrava. It marginally extends into the municipal territories of the city of Ostrava and the town of

Studénka Studénka (; german: Stauding) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,300 inhabitants. The town is situated on both sides of the historical border between Moravia and Silesia. Admi ...

. The Poodří PLA stretches along the course of the

River and includes the central part of the northeastern half of the Moravian Gate. Due to its location in the valley, there are no significant differences in elevation. The lowest point of the Poodří PLA is the river bed of the Odra in the northernmost part of the PLA at above sea level, and the highest point is in the southernmost part of the PLA at above sea level.

Climate

The Poodří PLA is located in a moderately warm area. The average annual temperature ranges from approximately 7 to 8.5 °C. The average annual precipitation is around 700 mm, and the average snowfall is about 1 meter.

Nature

Flora

The Poodří PLA is home to a variety of aquatic, meadow, and forest vegetation. The areas around ponds are covered with sedge and reed stands. Within the ponds, rare aquatic plants such as water caltrop, floating fern, and water-carnivorous plants like bladderwort can be found. Endangered species like the water violet and floating fern the yellow water-lily bloom near the blind river branches. The Poodří PLA is also characterized by periodically flooded floodplain meadows with distinct plant communities. Forests cover about 10% of the Poodří PLA area and consist mainly of trees such as common hornbeam, pedunculate oak, small-leaved lime, and ash. In the herbaceous layer of the forests, flowers such as snowdrop,

wood anemone The phrase wood anemone is used in common names for several closely related species of flowering plants in genus ''Anemonoides'', including: * ''Anemonoides nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an e ...

, early purple orchid, and

bear garlic ''Allium ursinum'', known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amary ...

can be found.

Funga

The Poodří region is known for the presence of numerous rare and often thermophilic species of mushrooms. Some of the wood-decaying species include the hen of the woods (''

Grifola frondosa ''Grifola frondosa'' (also known as hen-of-the-woods, in Japanese, ram's head or sheep's head) is a polypore mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples. It is typically found in late summer to early autumn ...

''), umbellate polypore (''

Polyporus umbellatus ''Polyporus umbellatus'' is an edible species of mushroom, found growing on roots of old beeches or oak (e.g.). It is also called umbrella polypore. Description The fruit body is composed of numerous (sometimes several hundred) caps. They are 1 ...

''), cauliflower fungus (''Sparassis nemecii''), Hartig's fire fungus (''Phellinus hartigii''), oak bracket (''

Inonotus dryadeus ''Inonotus dryadeus'', (syn. ''Pseudoinonotus dryadaeus''), commonly known as oak bracket, warted oak polypore, weeping polypore or weeping conk, is an inedible species of fungus belonging to the genus ''Inonotus'', which consists of bracket fung ...

''), dryad's saddle (''

Inonotus dryophilus ''Inonotus dryophilus'' is a plant pathogen. References External links Index FungorumUSDA ARS Fungal Database Fungal plant pathogens and diseases dryophilus ''Dryophilus'' is a genus of beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are about ...

''), resinous polypore (''Ganoderma resinaceum''), glossy polypore (''

Ganoderma lucidum ''Ganoderma lucidum'' is a red-colored species of ''Ganoderma'' with a limited distribution in Europe and parts of China, where it grows on decaying hardwood trees. Wild populations have been found in the United States in California and Utah, but ...

''), ash tree bracket ('' Perenniporia fraxinea''), coral tooth fungus (''

Hericium coralloides ''Hericium coralloides'' is a saprotrophic fungus, commonly known as the coral tooth fungus. It grows on dead hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate a ...

''), lion's mane mushroom ('' Hericium erinaceus''), bearded tooth fungus ('' Hericium flagellum''), and orange-toothed crust (''

Sarcodontia crocea ''Sarcodontia crocea'' is a species of hydnoid fungi, toothed crust fungus in the family Meruliaceae. The species was first species description, described scientifically in 1822 by Lewis David de Schweinitz, who called it ''Sistotrema croceum''. ...

'').

Fauna

The ponds, the Oder River, and the pools in the Poodří area are home to many species of aquatic mollusks, including the endangered

thick shelled river mussel ''Unio crassus'', the thick shelled river mussel, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Unio crassus Philipsson, 1788. Accessed through: ...

and the thin-lined

river snail Viviparidae, sometimes known as the river snails or mystery snails, are a family (biology), family of large operculum (gastropod), operculate freshwater snails, Aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks. This family is classified in the inform ...

. Poodří also hosts two endangered species of crustaceans – the noble crayfish and the snowflake water louse. The insect fauna is rich, with many local species, such as the marsh fritillary butterfly, black hairstreak,

stag beetle Stag beetles are a family of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, currently classified in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections ...

, brown chafer, and bush-cricket ''Stetophyma grossum''. Endangered fish species in the Oder River include the spined loach, bitterling, and brook lamprey, while the striped rudd can be found in the pools. The Poodří PLA is home to many amphibian species, with the great crested newt, fire-bellied toad, and European tree frog being among the most significant in terms of nature conservation. With its ponds and wetlands, the area is a popular refuge for water birds, including nesting species such as the grey heron, great cormorant, red-necked grebe, red-crested pochard, coot, greylag goose, great bittern, and bittern. Many other rare bird species can be observed in the area, although they do not nest there but spend part of the year there. Protected mammal species found in the Poodří PLA include the European beaver and Eurasian otter. The PLA territory is home to 16 bat species, which represents 76% of the bat fauna in the Czech Republic. Poodří is also habitat for ''

Osmoderma eremita ''Osmoderma eremita'', the hermit beetle or Russian leather beetle, is a species of European beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. Adults reach between 28 and 32 mm in length. Distribution ''Osmoderma eremita'' can be found everywhere in Europ ...

'' (newly ''Osmoderma barnabita''), which one of the LIFE's projects led by Arnika and University of Ostrava aimed to protect and enlarge.

Administration and legal framework

The Poodří PLA administration is located in

. The protected landscape area was declared on 1 May 1991. A new declaration was made by Government Regulation No. 51/2017 Coll. on the Poodří Protected Landscape Area, which simultaneously revoked the original declaration regulation, on 15 February 2017. Within the Poodří PLA, there are ten small-scale protected areas, managed by the administration of the PLA: *Polanská niva National Nature Reserve *Bartošovický luh Nature Reserve *Bařiny Nature Reserve *Bažantula Nature Reserve *Koryta Nature Reserve *Kotvice Nature Reserve *Polanský les Nature Reserve *Rákosina Nature Reserve *Rezavka Nature Reserve *Meandry Staré Odry Nature Monument The Pusté nivy Nature Monument was abolished in 2014. In addition, the administration of the PLA manages several small-scale protected areas outside the PLA.

References

{{reflist IUCN Category V Protected landscape areas in the Czech Republic Ramsar sites in the Czech Republic Protected areas established in 1991