- Český les Landscape Protected Area
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Český les Protected Landscape Area 
Typical landscape in CHKO Český lesCountry Czech Republic Region Pilsen Highest point Čerchov - elevation 1,042 m (3,419 ft) - coordinates 49°23′0.06″N 12°47′1.38″E / 49.38335°N 12.7837167°E Length 65 km (40 mi), NW-SE Width 10 km (6 mi), SW-NE Area 473.42 km2 (182.79 sq mi) Founded 2005 Management Správa CHKO Český les - location Přimda 
Location of Český les in the Czech RepublicČeský les Protected Landscape Area (Czech: Chráněná krajinná oblast Český les, usually abbreviated as CHKO Český les, the name can be translated as Bohemian Forest) is a Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic. It lies in the western part of the Pilsen Region along the border with the German state of Bavaria. It protects the most valuable parts of the he range of the same name, the Český les, which bears the name Oberpfälzerwald Wald in Germany.
CHKO Český les was declared in 2005 as the 25th Protected Landscape Area of the Czech Republic. Most of the area was vacated after the forced expulsion of the predominantly German inhabitants after the World War II. Until the fall of the Communist regime in 1989 it was part of the Western border zone, virtually uninhabited. Due to this development it is today an area little affected by human activities, a mosaic of deep forests, meadows and forests. There are many valuable well-preserved habitats of the beech and mixed fir-beech forests (though replaced by spruce plantations in a large part of the origibnal area), bog spruce forests and bog Mountain Pine forests. Geologically the area is not much varied, with the nutrient deficient rocks of the so called Moldanubicum pluton of Paleozoic to Proterozoic origin (granites, gneiss, schists, slates). CHKO Český les covers an area of 473.42 km2 (182.79 sq mi).
There are no permanent settlements in the area, rather a few restored hamlets and many of the meadows and patures are now used for cattle raising. The protected area is divided in two parts separated by the D5 highway connecting the Czech Republic and Germany. The zone close to the highway was not included in the protected area.
Nature Reserves
As of February 2007 there were following Nature Reserves and other smaller protected areas within the CHKO Český les:
Name Type Area Reason for protection Broumovská bučina Nature Reserve 26.17 ha (64.67 acres) herb-rich beech forest Bučina u Žďáru Nature Reserve 6.77 ha (16.73 acres) acidophilous montane beech forest Bystřice Nature Reserve 43.61 ha (107.76 acres) mixed montane forest Čerchovské hvozdy National Nature Reserve 326.93 ha (807.86 acres) primal mixed beech forest Diana Nature Reserve 20.41 ha (50.43 acres) primeval herb-rich forest Dlouhý vrch Nature Reserve 21.00 ha (52 acres) montane sycamore-beech forest Farské bažiny Nature Reserve 66.00 ha (163 acres) bog spruce forest Hvožďanská louka Nature Monument 6.70 ha (16.6 acres) managed meadow Jezírka u Rozvadova Nature Reserve 6.23 ha (15.39 acres) peat bog Křížový kámen Nature Reserve 19.23 ha (47.52 acres) raised bog forest with peat lakes Louka u Staré Huti Nature Monument 2.07 ha (5.12 acres) managed bog meadow Malý Zvon Nature Reserve 8.00 ha (20 acres) autochthonous beech forest Milov Nature Monument 0.74 ha (1.83 acres) sloped spring peat bog Na požárech National Nature Monument 78.60 ha (194.22 acres) transitional bog (originally declared for grouse protection) Nad Hutí Nature Reserve 14.04 ha (34.69 acres) autochthonous beech forest Ostrůvek Nature Reserve 5.51 ha (13.62 acres) raised bog forest Pavlova Huť Nature Reserve 35.82 ha (88.51 acres) bog spruce forest Pleš Nature Reserve 27.69 ha (68.42 acres) ravine sycamore and sloped beech forest Podkovák Nature Reserve 5.63 ha (13.91 acres) raised bog forest Skalky na Sádku Nature Monument 3.89 ha (9.61 acres) spruce-beach forest Starý Hirštejn Nature Reserve 37.15 ha (91.8 acres) autochthonous mixed forest Tišina Nature Reserve 10.35 ha (25.58 acres) acidophilous montane beech forest Tři Znaky Nature Reserve 289.86 ha (716.26 acres) declaration pending Veský mlýn Nature Monument 32.04 ha (79.17 acres) transitional bog Resources
- "Český les PLA". Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic. http://www.ceskyles.ochranaprirody.cz/index.php?lang=en. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
- Chytrý, Milan (2001). Katalog biotopů české republiky. Praha: Agentura ochrany přírody a krajiny ČR. ISBN 80-86064-55-7.
Categories:- Protected areas of the Czech Republic
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