Ramsar Convention

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (which are predominantly bird fowl habitats) is better known as the Ramsar Convention and was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. Its objective is the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and the worldwide protection of all wetland types (swamps, marshes, moors, peatbogs and natural, artificial, stagnant and running waters of both permanent and periodic character). As of 2005, the Convention has been ratified by 138 states as contracting parties. Each of them is obliged to designate at least one wetland site on its territory, which meets the criteria for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (www.ramsar.org).

Lednice Fishponds
This wetland covering 650 ha was included in the list in 1990. It is made up of forest pools called Allahy, the saline meadow by Nesyt, the largest Moravian fishpond, and the network of the following fishponds: Mlýnský, Prostřední, Hlohovecký, Nesyt and Zámecký. These sites are of international ornithological importance, since they are a nesting ground for several specially protected bird species as well as an important migration site. Together with extensive growths of reed and reedmace, it is a site of occurrence of important water and halophytic plant species as well as of specific communities of periodically exposed banks.

Floodplain of the Lower Dyje River
This wetland covers 11,500 ha and was designated in 1993. Its features include remnants of floodplain forests and alluvial meadows, a number of permanent and periodic pools, oxbows and forest channels. It also includes the central and lower basins of the Nové Mlýny reservoirs which are among the most important nesting grounds of a number of water fowl species in the Czech Republic, as well as an important migration stopover and wintering ground for migratory birds, predominantly geese. Despite the fact that the area was strongly affected by water management measures and the transformation of meadows into arable land, several sites with unique communities of crustaceans, insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds have survived, as well as some important plant species.