Management and Protection

The Saxon Switzerland National Park was officially established in 1990, following a long history of conservation efforts that began in the 19th century, including early protected areas and public resistance to infrastructure development. Bohemian Switzerland National Park followed in 2000, with the goal of protecting the most valuable parts of the Elbe Sandstone landscape and allowing natural ecosystems to develop over the long term. Together, the two parks form a directly adjacent, cross-border protected area, managed in close cooperation between Saxony and Czechia.

Both parks follow a principle of process-based conservation: forests are allowed to develop largely through natural dynamics rather than direct human control. Natural processes - such as aging, decay, regeneration, succession, windthrow, bark beetle outbreaks, and the accumulation of deadwood - are seen as essential parts of a healthy forest rather than disturbances to be eliminated. Commercial timber harvesting is prohibited, and any interventions serve only conservation, safety, or preventive purposes.

A key management tool in both parks is zoning, which divides the landscape into areas with different levels of human intervention. Zoning is understood as a dynamic system that can be adapted over time in response to changes in ecosystem condition and development. The long-term objective in both parks is to establish large, spatially connected areas in which natural processes dominate. Despite these shared principles, the two parks differ in their historical starting conditions and the current extent of non-intervention areas.

Saxon Switzerland: About 75 % of the park is in Nature Zones A and B, with more than half of the area in strict non-intervention core zones. Nature Zone B on the German side serves as a transitional zone in which temporary measures, such as supporting native trees and removing non-native species, are allowed to prepare forests for long-term natural development.
Bohemian Switzerland: Zoning works differently. The “natural zone” (similar to Saxony’s Zone A) covers around 15.6 % of the park, allowing forests to develop entirely without human interference. The “near-natural zone” (similar to Saxony’s Zone B) covers 18.9 % and allows only limited interventions to support species composition and forest structure. The largest part of the park, about 65 %, is a conservation zone where actions focus on protecting valuable habitats, mitigating past management impacts, and ensuring visitor safety. Recent large disturbances, such as bark beetle outbreaks and the 2022 wildfire, have allowed natural regeneration to increase even within these intensely managed zones.

Both parks actively manage the legacy of past forest use, climate change, and invasive species. For example, the controlled removal of non-native species, especially eastern white pine, is a key task. Saxony also promotes site-native trees such as beech and silver fir, including planting, tending, and measures to reduce deer browsing. In Bohemia, interventions are more selective, focusing on protecting valuable habitats, visitor safety, and invasive species control, while large areas are left to natural succession.

Disturbances like bark beetle outbreaks and fire are seen as natural drivers of forest development:

Bark Beetles: In Saxony, outbreaks are tolerated in non-intervention zones but managed in other areas to protect nearby infrastructure and forests. In Bohemia, bark beetles are increasingly accepted as part of natural forest dynamics, with interventions limited to safety concerns.
Fire: Wildfires are a major concern especially near settlements and trails. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response are top priorities. The 2022 wildfire provided important lessons, showing fire as a natural disturbance that can support regeneration. Deadwood is generally left in place to maintain biodiversity, improve water retention, and stabilize soils, except where it poses a risk near buildings or trails.

Both parks also place strong emphasis on long-term ecological monitoring, scientific research, and environmental education, using the protected areas as living laboratories for observing natural forest dynamics. Beyond ecological objectives, both administrations are responsible for guiding visitor use in ways that are compatible with conservation goals. Tourism infrastructure, trail systems, and visitor information are carefully managed, and ranger services play an important role in directing visitor behaviour and minimising ecological impacts.

The management of Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland combines strict protection of natural processes with targeted interventions for safety, biodiversity, and the mitigation of past human impacts. Together, the parks form a unique cross-border model where large-scale forest dynamics unfold across political boundaries under adaptive management and international cooperation.