Local Cross-Sectoral Operational Plan - Beskydy-Kysuce Cross-Border Area (Czech Republic - Slovakia)

The transboundary pilot area Beskydy-Kysuce is located in the westernmost part of the Carpathians at the Czech-Slovak Republic border. The region is acknowledged for its natural treasures including all three large carnivores (brown bear, grey wolf, and Eurasian lynx). Only here in the Czech Republic, do all three carnivores live together. At the same time, they are considered as umbrella species for a large group of species whose migration needs are similar or lower.
However, the local populations of large carnivores are dependent on migrations from the central Carpathians while the connectivity is threatened by anthropogenic development. The area itself suffers from different levels of fragmentation, the main sources of which are new linear infrastructure projects (motorways, road upgrades, and in the near future possibly also high-speed railways), urban development (increasing settlement in mountain valleys, industrial sites and tourism) and land use (vast monocultures).