Natural processes form a complex of ecological relationships of biotic and abiotic elements of nature. The system of long-term monitoring represents the only practicable feedback of the National Park Administration activities.
Monitoring and research in the Šumava NP is a tool for tracing and assessing the effects of the management performed. It especially focuses on recording and documenting the long-term changes in all subjects of nature protection and significant elements of nature, in territories without direct human intervention allowed to develop spontaneously, as well as in those parts of the NP where active management measures are being implemented.
Continuous forest monitoring is carried out in the territory of the Šumava NP as part of the inventory project “Biomonitoring of forest ecosystems in the Šumava NP allowed to develop spontaneously”.
Launched in 2008, this project comprises monitoring carried out in areas allowed to develop spontaneously. Measurements are taken in research areas within the inventory network that covers the whole area of interest. Area centres were chosen by randomised systematic selection.
Species monitoring is based on long-term tracing of population quantities of the individual species, their groups or communities, and by tracing their trends.
Long-term quantity tracing is carried out using standardised methods with periodic repetitions over long periods of time, i.e. 10 and more years.
Joint scientific cross-border research has long been in progress in the Šumava National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park.
The goal of the permanent cross-border socioeconomic monitoring is increasing the satisfaction of visitors to the Šumava National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park without disturbing the values of the protected territory, as valuable biotopes and species represent a great potential of this cross-border territory in terms of tourism. It is therefore necessary to acquire sufficient data and information about the visitors to be used in everyday management as well as long-term strategies of the administration of both national parks. Data regarding the number of visitors, their spatial and temporal dispersion, their expenditures, the degree of interest in environmental protection, and importance of national parks for the visitors, local inhabitants and service providers will serve as a basis for estimating the manner of sustainable development of tourism and regional development in the coming years.
Peat bogs represent remarkable relict ecosystems that play a significant role in the water regime and considerably enrich landscape biodiversity.
From the very beginning, the main goal of monitoring peat bogs in Šumava was especially monitoring the water regime, primarily with respect to drainage implemented in the past and possibilities of regeneration of damaged locations. With time, however, monitoring gained a wider scope, and its significant part is currently studying reactions of the peat bogs to surface changes in the landscape (such as the degradation of alpine spruce forests) and impacts of climate change.
