The importance of hydromorphological analysis in evaluating floodplain disturbances – an upper Stropnice River case study

This contribution deals with a comparative analysis of the hydromorphological state of a river network and the ecological status of a neighbouring floodplain area. The issue has gained great importance especially in addressing the causes and effects of flood events, which are an increasingly frequent manifestation of global environmental change at the local level. The area of interest was the upper part of the Stropnice River basin in Southern Bohemia with an area of about 100 km2. The basin is characterized by wide variability of natural conditions and human activities. The main objective was to analyse how the river’s morphological status affects habitat type naturalness. We endeavoured to determine the extent to which hydromorphological modifications contributed to transforming riparian natural habitats into more human-influenced habitats. Based on the results, we can conclude that within the area of interest the direct link between rivers and their close surroundings was only minimal. A significant role in shaping this relationship was played by a large anthropogenic modification of the entire floodplain area as well as the actual riverbed, which often causes completely different results. In areas where the floodplain ecosystem displayed relatively favourable environmental values, the relevant channel reach was degraded significantly, and vice versa. These facts point to longterm effects from anthropogenic pressure, which are manifested in the mutually and not well coordinated management of the river network and land-use system within the watershed