Again this year, herds of cattle, sheep and goats are returning to the rare natural areas of Prague – Cysnews

At the end of April, the first herds of cattle begin to graze selected locations in Prague again. Managed grazing is planned for this year using two herds of cattle and four mixed herds of sheep and goats. The capital thus ensures nature-friendly management of its land in specially protected areas of the metropolis. Thanks to grazing, which was restored here in 2000, species diversity is also being maintained in these localities. The people of Prague can already observe the animals, for example, in the Podbabské skály, further on in the Prokopské or Bohnické údolí.

Herd visits

“I have also received reactions from the public, for whom meeting a herd of sheep during a walk was a pleasant surprise and diversion, and some people go to observe the herds purposefully as part of their weekend relaxation. Careful management of urban farmland is a great way to restore the landscape to its natural character. Here it turns out that the traditional way of caring for the landscape is often the best possible. It’s good that Prague is taking this way of caring for pastures as its own again, and after twenty years of renewed practice we can already talk about a renewed tradition.” says the deputy mayor City of Prague for the environment and climate plan Jana Komrsková.

“The delicate balance in nature requires our attention. That’s why I’m very glad that we in Prague have decided on an ecological approach to the care of our land through grazing management. Our city is surrounded by picturesque countryside and protected areas. During the warm months, flocks of sheep and goats can settle on selected pastures. Their presence helps to maintain and restore the diversity of plants and animals that we have unfortunately lost in the past. This way of caring for our nature also allows us to educate and inspire future generations to respect nature and treat it responsibly.” adds Jiří Pospíšil, deputy mayor city ​​of Prague, which is also responsible for the area of ​​animal welfare.

Where the flocks will graze

This year, the plan is to graze with three mixed herds of sheep and goats and two herds of cattle. After the good experience of the previous two years, the capital will also use a herd consisting only of goats for grazing, which, unlike other types of grazers, move well on rocks. Mixed herds of sheep and goats will move mainly in the steppe locations of the Prokop and Šárecký údolí, in the Trojská kotlina, but also in many other places that were grazed in the past, such as Pitkovická stráni or V hroby near the Kamýk housing estate.

One herd of cattle will be in the dry Čihadla polder between the districts of Kyje and Dolní Počernice all year round. The second will move through selected meadows in the area of ​​Šeberov, Milíčov, Čimice, Lipenci or Šárecký údolí. Grazing by mixed herds of sheep and goats has already started, and people can meet them in the Prokopské údolí or on the Podbabské skály. Both herds of cattle will begin to graze the Prague locations in May. All herds will finish grazing in mid-November. Pasture is provided annually by suppliers selected from tenders. As a rule, these are private farmers.

Protected areas in Prague

Grazing of sheep and goats has been taking place mainly in specially protected areas in Prague continuously since 2000, grazing of cattle since 2012. Grazing in the territory of Prague is one of the historical ways of managing not only steppes, but also wet meadows. Continuity was last interrupted for an extended period after World War II. After the previously grazed localities ceased to be grazed after the war, they began to degrade in the sense of loss of species diversity.

Animals help with site maintenance

Animals remove biomass with the taste of plants and thus significantly help with the maintenance of particularly hard-to-access or waterlogged locations. The fundamental meaning and significant contribution of grazing in nature conservation is the disturbance of grass turf and the creation of smaller or larger areas without any vegetation, which are grazed or trampled onto the bare ground.

Disturbed grass turf allows competitively weaker plant species, often rare species, to grow in a specific location. Similar to plants, a number of invertebrate animals are bound to grazed areas. Mainly on the steppes there are many types of hymenopterous insects that nest in the ground. However, these insects cannot create their chambers in the soil if grass is involved. Exposed areas are also used by some beetles that hunt their prey here. At the same time, a number of invertebrates are tied to cattle dung, which in turn are food for some birds.

Changing grazing dates

So that the animals do not graze the same types of plants every year, grazing dates are changed at individual locations, or it is combined with manual mowing. Pasture does not cover the entire area of ​​individual locations. Selected places will always remain unsaved.