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Emotions and aesthetic preferences evoked by animals in the context of nature conservation
Janovcová, Markéta
People have always seen animals as an important part of their lives. As a result of human activity and other factors, an increasing number of species are becoming endangered. Recently, nature conservation has become increasingly important, but conservation activities cannot do without public support, not only financial. For this reason, it is necessary to understand how people perceive animals and what implications this may have for planning conservation programmes. In this paper, we focused on positive perceptions of animals ascertained through aesthetic preferences (the beauty of the animal) and negative perception through emotions (fear and disgust). It was found that the beauty of the animal and attributed dangerousness have a decisive influence on the support of conservation activities in the preferred group of mammals, while body size and attributed intelligence do not. In contrast, reptiles are an often neglected group of vertebrates, yet they are perceived by humans quite consistently. Humans distinguish reptiles on the basis of external appearance, namely the presence of limbs. Thus, there is a separate group of legless reptiles represented mainly by snakes and legless lizards (e.g. Amphisbaenia), which have their own rules for evaluating beauty and emotions. As it was found in the...
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Emotions and aesthetic preferences evoked by animals in the context of nature conservation
Janovcová, Markéta ; Landová, Eva (advisor) ; Stibral, Karel (referee) ; Prokop, Pavol (referee)
People have always seen animals as an important part of their lives. As a result of human activity and other factors, an increasing number of species are becoming endangered. Recently, nature conservation has become increasingly important, but conservation activities cannot do without public support, not only financial. For this reason, it is necessary to understand how people perceive animals and what implications this may have for planning conservation programmes. In this paper, we focused on positive perceptions of animals ascertained through aesthetic preferences (the beauty of the animal) and negative perception through emotions (fear and disgust). It was found that the beauty of the animal and attributed dangerousness have a decisive influence on the support of conservation activities in the preferred group of mammals, while body size and attributed intelligence do not. In contrast, reptiles are an often neglected group of vertebrates, yet they are perceived by humans quite consistently. Humans distinguish reptiles on the basis of external appearance, namely the presence of limbs. Thus, there is a separate group of legless reptiles represented mainly by snakes and legless lizards (e.g. Amphisbaenia), which have their own rules for evaluating beauty and emotions. As it was found in the...
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International Trade in Endangered Species and Its Legal Regulation (50 Years of CITES)
Vinduška, Vojtěch ; Damohorský, Milan (advisor) ; Stejskal, Vojtěch (referee)
International Trade in Endangered Species and Its Legal Regulation (50 Years of CITES) Abstract This thesis focuses on the legal regulation of international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. The main objective of this thesis is to perform a comprehensive analysis of the system of legal regulation of international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, both at the international and European level, as well as its implementation into Czech legislation and to provide a fundamental comparison of these levels. The thesis should lead to reflection on the necessity and importance of the protection of endangered species, especially when they are subject to international trade. The thesis is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the international trade in endangered species itself. It provides an explanation of the term international trade in endangered species, an analysis of its global scale, its impact on the planet's biodiversity, and the goals that regulation of this sector of international trade seeks to achieve. The second part discusses the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, primarily from the perspective of the historical development of this area and the gradual evolution of the Convention itself. It also outlines the...
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Legal framework of the species protection in the Czech Republic
Vítek, Tomáš ; Stejskal, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Derlich, Stanislav (referee)
Legal framework of the species protection in the Czech Republic Abstract The diploma thesis deals with the legal instruments for species protection of plants and animals applied in the Czech Republic. In the introduction, he defines species protection and its position in the framework of nature and biodiversity protection and addresses the issue of the concept of species in a biological and legal context. The following is a historical overview of the development of species protection in the Czech territory from the oldest legal regulations adopted in the 19th century to 1992, when the current legislation came in force. The general part of the work ends with an overview of current legal regulations relevant to species protection of plants and animals, namely international, European and Czech regulations. The key part of the work is devoted to the description and analysis of the instruments of general species protection and special species protection according to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act. The thesis first discusses the tools of general species protection, including the issue of invasive and non-native species. An integral part of the work is a brief excursion into the otherwise very comprehensive issue of import, export and trade in endangered species, which is regulated in particular by the...
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Possibilities of restoration of endangered wetland biotopes from soil seed bank on example of salt marches
ČÍŽKOVÁ, Eva
Over the past few decades, natural habitats have been massively disrupted and disappeared, resulting in a decline or disappearance of plant species limited to these habitats, thereby the species richness of the area is reducing. However, some plant species produce seeds that retain germination in the soil for a long period of time, so the seed bank may contain species that are no longer situated here or only in a very limited amount in the locality, and therefore the soil seed bank may theoretically be a source of these species and can be used in the restoration of species composition in the locality. In this bachelor´s thesis, a soil seed bank from the largest inland salt marsh in the Czech Republic, located at the southwestern edge of the Nesyt pond in South Moravia, was examined in ex-situ conditions. The subject of the research was mainly the number of individuals of each species germinated from the seed bank. At the same time, it was tested whether the different water level in the substrate affects the abundance of species and species composition of the plants grown from the seed bank. From the soil seed bank of the salt marsh habitat has grown 44 taxa, of which 18 of these taxa are classified as endangered or rare in the Czech Republic. Altogether 1233 individuals of plants were noticed, most of them have been classified as Plantago uliginosa and Juncus compressus, whose individuals constituted more than half of the total number of individuals, while the number of individuals of other taxa ranged from 1 to 10 individuals. Testing the effect of water level on species abundance and species composition showed that more plant species germinated under conditions where the water level was below substrate level than under conditions where the substrate was permanently wetted to flooded.
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Reintroduction of butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Štochlová, Tereza ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Straka, Jakub (referee)
The thesis deals with one of the active means of conservation - reintroduction. By this ap- proach, organisms are released in their historical range from which they have disappeared. Re- introductions typically concern vertebrates, that is, however, why this thesis focuses on a group of invertebrates - butterflies (Rhopalocera). The main aim of this work is to carry out a research of previous experiments, evaluate used methods and discover the best way to proceed with reintroduction of butterflies. This process contains many important steps. Firstly, a suitable species must be chosen, that means one that is declining and has limited dispersal abilities. Secondly, an appropriate habitat for releasing organisms must be found - host plants ought to be sufficiently abundant and the area big enough. If the habitat quality is not satisfactory, it can be achieved through management, most commonly by planting host plants, mowing or grazing. Next step is choosing the right donor population. It should be stable, genetically variable, and genetically and ecologically related to the original extinct population. After transfer and release of sufficient number of organisms, it is crucial to carry out a long-term monitoring of the newly formed population and to modify its management when necessary. All methods...
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Degradace mokřadní vegetace na Velkomeziříčsku a možnosti její obnovy
Oulehla, Jan
The thesis deals with degradation of wetland vegetation in the southeastern Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Based on detailed historical data, a comparison between the historical (20 years ago) and current state of selected wetland sites in the vicinity of Velké Meziříčí town was made. Historical development, current vegetation description and comparison with the historical situation are described for each locality. The results of the work are based on the testimony of witnesses, consultations with the author of the main historical source, maps and own floristic and phytosociological surveys that took place in 2015–2018. 23 sites were resurveyed in total, where 20 of them were found as more or less degraded. Seven of the wetland sites disappeared at all. Furthermore, local extinction is illustrated on six selected endangered wetland species. An integral part is the identification of the causes of degradation, where vegetation succession following the absence of management, drainage and nutrient input (eutrophication) are of the highest importance. Restoration options based on practical examples of good care are described to solve degradation. Phytosociological plots, photographs and lists of found species can be found in the annexes.
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Possibilities of ex situ protection of rare and endangered plant species
Vítová, Jana ; Münzbergová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Dostálek, Tomáš (referee)
The aim of the bachelor's thesis is to present the possibilities, significance and possible problems of ex-situ protection for the future conservation of biodiversity of plants on Earth. In the introductory part of the thesis, the individual processes and programs of ex situ protection are described, with the help of literature search. At the same time, information on international cooperation in the field of seed banks and botanical gardens is presented, which, through their activities and mutual cooperation, create rescue programs to secure as many samples of plant material for possible future use. The work also mentions international plant databases, which provide the accurate and detailed information about the preserved material of rare and endangered plant species for the public. Further in the thesis, the currently known problems of ex situ protection with their impacts on the collected and stored material are mapped. Keywords Ex situ conservation, threatened plants, Ministry of the Environment, database, seed dormancy, inbreeding, outbreed depression, cultivation, seed bank, botanical gardens, tissue cultures, in vitro, genetic drift, mutation, hybridization, wildlife conservation, endangered species, threatened species
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Historický vývoj a vegetační změny nivy dolního úseku řeky Labe
ROTTENBORN, Jan
This work has been divided into two main sections theoretical and research sections. The theoretical section focuses on the bases for the studied issue. It mainly defines a floodplain and wider space of a river and presents development of recognition of processes, which we refer to as vegetation development and dynamics. These range from the theory of plant succession to vegetation succession in view of the significantly distributed environment. And it also shows how a one-sided view of the effect of a river on vegetation with recognition changed only after the biogemorphic approach, when all described parts are mutually related. Today no one will be surprised that vegetation also influences geomorphic processes, such as erosion and sedimentation, and that this view of the issue has been through its own development. The next part of the work presents the monitored territory and characterises natural phenomena, such as geomorphology, geology, hydrology and selected environmental characteristics (potential vegetation, climate, phytocelonology and phytogeography). It also summarises all available botanical data regarding the territory and familiarises the reader with the history and current status of botanical research. The final part of the work presents known changes which have occurred in the floodplain in the recent period (over several centuries). These mainly include changes in the manifestation of the river, indicated by changed oscillation of the water level, adjustments to the river bed and floodplain as such, along with pollution and eutrophisation of the river, a change to generic class (entry of neophytes and plant invasion) and a change to floodplain management. The research section is divided into four parts, which correspond to published or soon-to-be-published articles. The first collects all available data about historical species composition, compares them with the current situation and tries to put them into context with the changes that have occurred and area occurring in the floodplain. The second (and from my point of view crucial) part is based on long-term collection of data at permanent monitoring points. A large number of collected images (more than 700) include a large amount of information about the current composition of vegetation and make it possible to compare year-to-year changes, put them into context with changes in monitored abiotic factors and estimate the frequency of the processes that occur on gravel days. The third part focuses on the Corrigiola litoralis, known by its common name strapwort, which, as has already been stated in the introduction, is a critically endangered species and is also very characteristic for the studied groups. This part attempts if possible to present in the most effective way this species, its biology and changes in its population and to identify potential threats as well as opportunities. The fourth final part attempts to show other options for examination of vegetation changes. It uses the resources of geographical information systems. It presents examples of how the river flow in a relatively short period of time in a "little regulated" part has changed and how vegetation reacts to it. It uses both historical map data and modern aerial shots adjusted to orthophotographs.
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