Vegetation Changes in a Wet Meadow Complex during the Past Half-Century

Repeated vegetation maps and phytosociological relevés recorded in the 1950s and again from 1984 to 2006 in a wet meadow complex near the town of Třeboň, in the southern part of the Czech Republic, central Europe were compared. The following trends were evident: original vegetation zones disappeared, as well as vegetation typical of less intensively used sites, i.e., short-sedge marshes and Deschampsia cespitosa meadows. Instead, stands with Phalaris arundinacea, Urtica dioica, Elytrigia repens, and species-poor Alopecurus pratensis meadows, as well as woody species, expanded as a result of either too intensive use (cutting, manuring) or abandonment. The number of 46 meadow and marsh species recorded in 1956 in repeated relevés was reduced to one-third, while ruderal and weedy species increased from zero to 22, thus surpassing the meadow and marsh species being now more numerous than the former ones. The large degradation that started in the late 1970s continues, with there being no chance of recovery unless the present management regime stops manuring and implements appropriate regular cutting once or twice a year.