Czech Republic

Near-natural Urban Ecological Restoration

The area originally planned as a parking lot was transformed into a faculty garden in 2014. The aim was to create a resting area and, at the same time, a highly structured "wilderness" using a near-natural restoration approach – a habitat for animals and plants that could also be used for teaching. As it stands now, the garden consists of undulating terrain with a small pond, sand dune, flowering meadow, kindergarten playground, trees, meadows, paths, banks, trunks of old trees, shelter, insect hotel, and more. The meadows were enriched by selected species of broadleaved herbs. The intentional transfer of selected wetland plants into the pond has been conducted.

Coming in 2026/27

Ecological restoration of a post-mining site: A laboratory in the field.

This virtual demo site contrasts spontaneous succession and assisted restoration with traditional forestry reclamation approaches in former mining landscapes. Users will learn how habitat heterogeneity, disturbance, and spontaneous processes shape vegetation and biodiversity after mining. The site demonstrates why open sandy habitats are crucial for rare and endangered species and how minimal intervention can lead to high conservation value. 

Ecological restoration of springs: Water retention in the landscape directly at the source.

Springs are vital structures to maintain water in the landscape. In the past, many of the spring areas were drained and, efforts to revitalize these areas have currently been made all around the country with the aim to improve water regime in the landscape and restore the precious spring vegetation. Users will learn about causes of degradation, measures for restoration and importance of monitoring to evaluate the restoration success.

The value of small water pools in an open-cast coal mine.

In 2025, a large area of an opencast coal mine was declared a nature reserve, being the one of the largest restoration projects in the Czech Republic. This virtual tour focuses on the potential of spontaneously established water ponds for biodiversity support. Users will learn about principles of near-natural measures for biodiversity support with special focus on wetland habitats.

From a seed to a flowering urban meadow: the whole story.

This virtual demo site presents the establishment of a species-rich urban meadow two types of seed mixtures, one of them is a regional seed biomass from a nearby species-rich donor meadow. in Pomněnice school facility of the Benešov VET school compares different seeding approaches and highlights their effects on the support of biodiversity of higher plants, insects, and other groups of organisms in the urban environment. Users will learn about near-natural restoration of urban grasslands, the role of regional seed sources, the importance of proper site preparation, management, and long-term monitoring.