Research Results
The recent status of fish restoration to streams and reservoirs is still fragile, indicated for example by deformed gills in the reintroduced brook char (Salvelinus fontinalis), which signifies high levels of stress caused by toxic aluminium and heavy metals.
Liming has had an adverse effect, causing significant changes in the biomass of phytoplankton and zooplankton. With the seasonal changes in hydrological processes that occur in autumn, unexpected peaks of zooplankton and phytoplankton have been observed, leading to problems with the drinking water. Studies on different approaches to liming are continuing to further investigate these findings.
Earthwatch scientists studying an experimental basin in the Jizera Mountains, Czech Republic have found that the removal of spruce trees results in improved water quality in streams and reservoirs (e.g. elevated pH and reduced sulphate and aluminium levels). Recent re-growth of forest stands, particularly coniferous species, is being monitored closely as it may result in a new period of increased acidity.
Recently, overall recovery of surface waters in the Jizera Mountains has been observed, attributed to decreased industrial emissions and the introduction of local liming strategies. However, this progress in recovery of biota, following the drop in the atmospheric load has occurred after a relatively long delay period.
In 2010 Earthwatch volunteers installed two additional meteorological stations and data from experimental basins helped in evaluating the connections between a flood in August of 2010 and the soil-vegetation complex.
In reaction to the findings of the Earthwatch research, management of the mountain watershed has moved away from focusing solely on a priority of timber production, to a more integrated approach which encompasses management for recovery of water resources as well. Scientists found that the semi-natural beech stands (which show higher ecological stability and acid resistance than spruce plantations) play an essential role in stabilising soil, and conserving the forest microclimate and hydrological regime.
At the national level, the research has provided information on water resource control to the Watershed Authority of the Elbe River, which originates in the Krkonoše Mountains before flowing through northern Czech Republic and Germany to the North Sea.
The European Working Group on the Management of Mountain Watersheds (part of which stems from the European Forestry Commission (EFC) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations) has been using the findings of the research programme in discussions on policy development for watershed management across European mountain regions.
Data have been used by the International Association on Headwater Control for preparation of the official Guidelines on Revitalisation in Headwater Catchments of Central Europe, and have been incorporated into international scientific networks such as The International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring Effects of Air Pollution on Rivers and Lakes (a European Economic Community in the United Nations project) and on European Union mountain lake conservation programmes.
Krecek, J., Horicka, Z. & Novakova, J. (2009) Environmental impacts of the acid atmospheric deposition and forest clear-cut in a mountain catchment. In: Fukushima, Y., Burnett, W.C.,
Taniguchi, M., Haigh, M. & Umezawa, Y. (Eds.) From Headwaters to the Ocean. Taylor & Francis Group, London.
Krecek, J., Novakova, J. & Horicka, Z. (2010) Ellenberg’s indicator in water resources control: the Jizera Mountains, Czech Republic. Ecological Engineering, 36 (9): 1112 - 1117.
Krecek, J. & Z. Horicka, (2010) Recovery of headwater catchments and lakes affected by the acid atmospheric deposition. Beheim, E., Rajwar, G.S., Haigh, M.J. and J. Krecek (eds.) Integrated Watershed Management. Springer, Dordrecht (NL), 200 - 207.