Cities, towns and villages represent not only areas for residence and life of humans but are also important
environments for a range of other organisms. As the first settlements were constructed close to sources of
water (e.g. lakes and rivers), it is not surprising that even today various types of wetlands form inseparable parts of urban as well as rural landscapes. Specific man-made or man-modified wetlands attract particularly organisms able to cope with high amounts of nutrients, frequent and severe disturbances and strong water level fluctuations. Among plants, there are numerous taxa that can profit from such dynamic conditions. In this paper I have aimed to analyse the species and vegetation diversity of vascular plants and charophytes in settlement wetlands across the Czech Republic.
Additionally, I will try to link this diversity to species traits on the one hand and environmental and management factors on the other. In order to comply with this task, I have consulted specialised literature and database PLADIAS. This analysis shows a surprisingly high diversity of wetland habitats in the settlements of the Czech Republic. Among altogether 157 species identified as typical of various types of wetlands in towns and villages, 55 species are included in the national Red List and 17 classified as neophytes. Moreover, altogether 59 plant communities on association level, belonging to 7 phytosociological classes (Lemnetea, Potametea, Charetea, Littorelletea uniflorae, Isoëto-Nano-Juncetea, Bidentetea tripartitae and Phragmito-Magno-Caricetea), have been detected as regularly occurring in the settlements. The role of settlement wetlands for biodiversity protection and human well-being is widely discussed and recommendations are given for enhancing the research of these wetlands using standardised protocols as well as for effective protection
of their biological values.
