The territory of Prague is to a great extent unique due to its numerous representatives of nature like biotopes, localities where human activities have not incurred much adverse impacts yet. The Prague’s wildlife and landscape provide the inevitable living space to a number of species of fauna and flora, including protected species, and simultaneously they provide – however not in the same quality across the whole territory – high quality environment for everyday life and recreational activities of the Prague inhabitants as well as its visitors and tourists. The City parks, historical gardens, forests, alleys, areas of special protection, nature parks, and water courses at the same time create the unique spirit of the City and contribute to its attractiveness and exceptional atmosphere. On the territory of Prague there are 88 areas of special protection having area of over 2,200 hectares (4% of the City area), which form a wide spectrum of territories spanning from geological localities through botanical, zoological, and entomological localities, up to forest habitats. Nature conservation services strive for the creation of systematically interconnected territories, first of all, serving to nature conservation and protection of landscape and for recreation activities, even under the complicated conditions of the large city. The core of these territories are nature parks, which at present there are 11 on the Prague’s territory and account for approx. 20 % of the total City area. At present the area of forest land on the territory of the City of Prague is 4,890 hectares, which is approximately 10 % of the City total area, and in this case we can find - on the outskirts of Prague – even larger forests featuring the natural composition of tree species as well as the herb layer. The total area of gardens, parks, and park areas being the property of the City of Prague accounts for over 2,600 hectares, out of which 9% goes to parks, which importance reaches beyond the City boundary – for instance, the Royal Game Preserve (Stromovka), Letná Orchards, and Kinský Garden. In the Prague’s street alleys there are approximately 26,000 trees. Since 1995 when the City of Prague launched the project called “Prague for Trees - Trees for Prague”, in the framework of which the systematic regeneration of the street alleys was launched, over 2,600 new trees have been planted in the City streets. Water courses and reservoirs also form an important part of the Prague’s landscape.
