Research Summary
Jizera Mountains, northern Bohemia, Czech Republic— By the time the Eastern Bloc collapsed in 1989, acid rain from coal-fired power plants from countries to the west had already damaged more than two-thirds of these forested headwaters. Forests were dying, water quality was diminished, and mountain streams had been without fish for 40 years. Now, 20 years later, conditions are improving. Sulfur deposition has dropped and forestry practices have improved. Mountain ecosystems, streams, and lakes are recovering. Researchers Drs Josef Krecek and Zuzana Horicka started working with Earthwatch teams here in 1991. Their data helped set management plans for mountain watersheds and lakes. You can help Drs Krecek and Horicka continue their rehabilitation efforts in the headwaters of northern Bohemia. Mountains are the water towers of the world. The revival of fresh water resources is not possible without the rehabilitation of mountain ecosystems, which is the overall aim of this project.
Meet the Scientists
Dr. Josef Krecek
Czech Technical University
Dr Krecek is Associate Professor at Czech Technical University. He was chair of the EFC/FAO Working Group on the Management of Mountain Watersheds, and a Visiting Professor of Texas Woman’s University Denton, USA, in 1994 and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan, 2005 to 2006. He has a background in hydrology and climatology, landscape ecology, and water resources management. His responsibilities on the project include logistics of the field research activities, hydrological survey and experimental watersheds.
Zuzana Horicka
Charles University in Prague
Dr. Horicka has a background in limnology and ecology and will be responsible for the research activities on chemistry and biology of surface waters.