Protection

As floodplain meadows have generally arisen as a result of human activities (cutting wood and brushwood, mowing and grazing), the further existence of those communities is wholly dependant on the continuity of management. Natural processes take over after the end of mowing and grazing and plants typical of overgrown area begin to dominate. The rate of overgrowing depends mostly on the regularity and duration of the flood. Openness characteristic of floodplain meadows begins to disappear and causes the impoverishment of species and communities of floodplain meadows.

Important aspect of maintaining floodplain meadows besides nature protection is the preservation of traditional peasant culture (haymaking was a very important event in the life of our ancestors and overwhelms several traditions). Floodplain meadows are typical nesting places for such rare species as great snipe and black stork, and for species whose abundance is quickly decreasing – ruff, black-tailed godwit, corncrake.