Nature and landscape protection, regional environmental stability

There are 11 nature parks within the city limits, which occupy larger areas whose original natural character has been preserved. These in turn comprise the most important small-sized valuable sites enjoying a special protection status. In this respect, the most important nature parks are Prokopské and Dalejské Valleys, Sarka - Lysolaje, Drahan - Troja, Rokytka and Ricanka. The Prokopské and Dalejské Valleys nature park was the last to be declared, but it is undoubtedly the most important one at the same time. It comprises many sites with a plethora of rare plant species and many valuable geological objects. At the same time, the area is under tremendous pressure from the nearby Barrandov and Western Township Housing Schemes.

Tab. - List of nature parks on the City territory

Source: OOP MHMP

Experience with the implementation of a building closure has shown that the procedure of issuing approvals by a nature protection authority for each and every activity to take place in the territory of the Prokopské and Dalejské Valleys Nature Park pursuant to Act No. 114/1992 of the Law Gazette (Nature and Landscape Protection Act) and Decree No. 7/1992 of the Municipality of Prague, whereby the Prokopské and Dalejské Valleys Nature Park was established and conditions of the building closure were specified, is both time-consuming and lengthy. Too vague and general conditions of the building closure lacking any specific rules have resulted in unnecessary clashes of the state administration and the general public. Given the necessity of an objective evaluation of areas and district with an exaceptional natural or landscape potential, a detailed natural scientific assessment and an analysis of civilization impacts for the entire the Prokopské and Dalejské Valleys Nature Park and Divoka Sarka were undertaken to provide information for nature protection authorities in charge of preparing a draft of a local subsystem of the Regional Environmental Stability System (in Czech ancronymized as USES).

Based on the new detailed natural scientific survey, the objective was to obtain clear-cut supporting data that would permit to determine which building projects, activities or uses can prove destructive, detrimental or disturbing for protected landscape phenomena or exceptional natural values, including internationally recognized geological sites (geological stratotypes).

First areas in the territory of Prague, which enjoy a special status of protection, were established in 1964, others have followed suit. In the course of time, there have been numerous changes; land lots have been divided, mergers and divisions of cadaster area have even resulted in land lots being renumbered. Consequently, works aimed at checking and identifying land lots which fall into official protected areas have begun in cooperation with IMIP. These are based on data from the Real Estate Register.

• Tab.  - Overview of small-sized protected areas in Prague
• Overview of registered significant landscape elements
• List of Memorial trees in Prague