Scientific research – 22 years of cooperation with the Rožmitál quarry

Since 2000, naturalists from the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové have been conducting research in the Rožmitál quarry and its surroundings. The results confirm the high biological value of the area. So far, 3,323 species of organisms have been found: 491 species of plants, 563 species of fungi, and 2,269 species of animals (2,148 invertebrates, 121 vertebrates); 5 species of plants and 72 species of animals are protected under the Ministry of Environment Decree No. 395/1992 Sb.

The findings from the first few years of surveys allowed assessing the impact of mining on the local flora and fauna. They were used in the preparation of the project of ecological reclamation of the mining areas and in the rescue of selected species of plants and animals in the affected region. Recultivation is carried out in a way sensitive to nature and includes management supporting the local populations - removal of early succession woody growth from the areas intended for the development of xerophytic low vegetation, clearing of pools, sensitive (mosaic) mowing of meadow vegetation, and creating nesting sites for Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, etc.) on the quarry edge. This approach is also more economical than any technical reclamation - the Rožmitál quarry area is therefore an example of harmonization of economic activity and nature conservation interests, thanks to which it has vindicated its existence in the protected landscape area.

Some milestones in research and education at Rožmitál Quarry:

• 2000: biological research started at the request of the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area Administration thanks to an exemption by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic from the protection conditions of Zone II of the Protected Landscape Area for landscaping activities in connection with mining activities. The results of the surveys from 2000, 2008-2009, 2015-2021 were continuously processed into reports, which are stored at the PLA Administration, ZD Šonov and the Museum of Eastern Bohemia.
  
  
• 2007: Administration of the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area requires a biological assessment of a new mining project that affects Zone II of the Protected Landscape Area. The administration requirements were included in the agreement signed between ZD Šonov and the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in 2008.
  
  
• 2008: The reclamation plan for the part of the quarry "Starý lom - Homole" prepared by ATELIER M was awarded 2nd place in the competition for the best restoration projects in the Czech Republic "Green Bridge", announced by the Mining Union - an association of mining companies in the Czech Republic.
  
  
• 2011: A 1.5 km long educational trail with 7 boards was built, which introduces visitors to the ecological restoration of the area after mining.
  
  
• 2011: The brochure Lom Rožmitál u Broumova - Guide to the Educational Trail was published. An electronic version of the guide is available on the museum website.
  
  
• 2013: Information leaflets published in four languages. The quarry management offers guided tours of the quarry area for registered groups.
  
  
• 2014: Publication of a monographic issue of the journal Acta Musei Reginaehradecensis Series A - Scientiae naturales (212 pages) summarizing the results of natural history research at Rožmitál Quarry.
  
  
• 2020: The Rožmitál quarry was awarded the prize of the Regional Authority of the Hradec Králové Region in the field of ecological education and training.
  
  
• 2020: Virtual tour of the educational trail launched (https://www.muzeumhk.cz/program/vystavy-online/887-lom-rozmital.html).
  
  
• 2021: The project is showcased in a report on Czech Television. It was not the only one - popularization of ecological restoration of the quarry had already been the subject of multiple reports in regional media.