Is the Šumava National Park changing into a desert? A mini-review

Abstract

The provoking title briefly represents the opinion of a number of politicians and lobbyists. The majority of biologists, however, do not agree with this statement and present several arguments for why such a change will not occur. We attempt to elucidate the current and future situation in the Sumava NP based on available data. We also compare the situation in the Sumava NP with that in the whole of the Czech Republic, where the situation is similar or even worse. The devastated spruce forests are regenerating from young seedlings, biodiversity is increasing and the national park is not threatened by drought any more than the surrounding landscape. Here we dismiss the alarming messages about a desert in the Sumava NP, as the opposite is true, with the drought level there lower than in the rest of the Czech Republic.