Volkramy Nature Reserve: A Protected Landscape of Steppe Grasslands in South Moravia, Czech Republic

Volkramy is best known for harboring one of the more intact surviving examples of sub-Pannonian steppe grassland and broad-leaved dry grassland in southern Moravia, anchored by sandy substrates derived from Quaternary sands, gravels, and clays. The site is especially valued for populations of highly threatened plants such as the critically endangered Dolliner's thesium and the strongly endangered large-flowered pasqueflower, alongside a community of steppe invertebrates and grassland birds. The inclusion of an old sand quarry adds a second conservation dimension, providing nesting opportunities for species such as the European bee-eater and sand martin, which depend on vertical sandy cliffs.

The land that now makes up Volkramy has a layered, human-shaped history. Much of the area was used as cherry and apricot orchards through the twentieth century; while these were commercial orchards, the traditional management practices helped preserve a surprising amount of the original dry-grassland flora. Some of the original fruit trees still stand in the area today, acting as living reminders of the agricultural past.

In the 1990s, parts of the site were disturbed by sand mining. After extraction ended, the mining area was afforested as part of reclamation efforts, a measure that ultimately damaged the very open, non-forest sandy grassland communities the site is now valued for. Independently, some parts of the original land were converted to arable cultivation, further reducing the area of valuable habitat.

A formal botanical and zoological inventory carried out in 2020 documented the exceptional biodiversity still surviving at the site, recording more than 200 plant species, over 100 insect species, and dozens of bird species, including species of strong conservation concern. Based on this evidence, the Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region declared Volkramy a protected nature monument effective December 1, 2023, securing legal protection for its steppe grasslands, dry grasslands, and the threatened species they support.

Volkramy lies on a gentle, southwest-facing slope in the Litenčická pahorkatina (Litenčice Hills) geomorphological region, specifically in the Bučovická pahorkatina subunit and Větrnická vrchovina district. Elevations range from about 293 to 340 meters, placing the site firmly within the warm lowland zone of southern Moravia. The southwest orientation gives the slope strong solar exposure, a key factor in the development of dry, warm-loving grassland habitats rather than mesic woodland.

The geology of the site is central to its character. The substrate is formed of Pleistocene sands, gravels, and clays, deposited as part of the ancient alluvial and aeolian systems that shaped much of this part of Moravia. From these sandy parent materials, a distinctive carbonate-rich pelozem soil has developed, a substrate that is naturally nutrient-poor, well-drained, and prone to drying out, conditions that exclude more competitive plant species and favor stress-adapted steppe vegetation.

The broader landscape of the area carries the visual signature of the South Moravian lowlands: a mosaic of agricultural land, scattered village orchards, woodland patches, and small villages like Němčany. Volkramy itself contains a mix of sloping dry grassland, surviving orchard patches, and the disturbed ground of a former sand quarry, now partly forested as part of earlier reclamation. This small mosaic of landforms is what makes the site, despite its tiny size, an unusually complete window onto the dry-grassland landscape that once dominated this part of central Europe.

The ecological identity of Volkramy is defined by its steppe and dry-grassland communities, two habitat types that belong to the sub-Pannonian biogeographical tradition of central Europe, blending influences from the Pannonian Basin and the wider central-European dry-grassland zone. These communities are sharply limited by soil and slope conditions, requiring well-drained, often sandy or gravelly substrates and warm, sunny exposures, which is why they form only scattered fragments across the modern landscape rather than continuous expanses.

The protected area is dominated by two key ecosystem types: sub-Pannonian steppe grasslands covering roughly one-fifth of the site, and broad-leaved dry grasslands covering about one-third, with the rest consisting of orchard, disturbed, and reclaimed ground. Together these habitats support a surprisingly high density of species per unit area, reflecting the niche-rich nature of sandy grassland environments.

Vegetation on the site reflects the dual influences of soil chemistry and historical land use. Open sandy patches support specialized annual and perennial plants adapted to drought and low nutrient availability, while the surviving orchard areas add a complementary woody layer. The juxtaposition of open steppe, scattered old fruit trees, and disturbed post-quarry ground creates the varied microclimate and structural complexity that drives the site's biodiversity.

Wildlife at Volkramy is strongly tied to the open, dry, sandy character of the landscape, which supports a distinctive community of stress-adapted invertebrates and ground-nesting or cliff-nesting birds. A 2020 inventory recorded 113 insect species and 37 bird species on the site, a remarkable total for such a small area, and emphasized the unusually high concentration of conservation-relevant species.

The invertebrate fauna includes beetles such as the large burying beetle and the dark chafer, ground beetles such as the field tiger beetle, and a notable community of butterflies including the dandelion burnet moth, the silver-studded blue, the chalkhill blue, the large copper, the scarce swallowtail, and the BergerÔøΩs clouded yellow. These species are typical indicators of healthy, flower-rich dry grassland and depend on the site's mosaic of warm open ground and varied vegetation structure.

Birds associated with the area include the Eurasian sparrowhawk, common raven, spotted flycatcher, western marsh harrier, common nightingale, Syrian woodpecker, red-backed shrike, great grey shrike, and the Eurasian golden oriole. The site also has particular importance for two hole-nesting birds: the sand martin and the European bee-eater were both observed at the locality, though neither was confirmed breeding in 2020, prompting plans to create artificial nesting walls in the old sand quarry to support colonies of at least twenty pairs of each species.

Volkramy is a conservation site defined less by national prestige than by the rarity and vulnerability of its habitat type. Sub-Pannonian steppe grasslands and broad-leaved dry grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems in central Europe, having been reduced to scattered fragments by centuries of agricultural conversion, quarrying, and forestry, including the very reclamation efforts that damaged this site before its formal protection. By securing legal protection for the surviving fragments, the declaration of Volkramy helps preserve a piece of the regional natural heritage that would otherwise be at high risk.

The conservation objectives for the site center on stabilizing and restoring both grassland types, reducing the pressure from invasive and expansive plant species, and controlling the encroachment of shrubs. A specific management ambition is the reduction or removal of the forestry established during past sand-quarry reclamation, which is currently suppressing the open sandy grassland communities. The site's overlap with a European Site of Community Importance connects it to the wider Natura 2000 network, strengthening its protected status.

A particular conservation focus is the support of two highly threatened grassland-associated bird species, the sand martin and the European bee-eater. Because neither was breeding on the site in 2020, management plans include creating or restoring a vertical sandy wall in the former quarry roughly large enough to host a breeding colony of around twenty pairs of each species, turning a former threat to the habitat into a future asset within it.

Volkramy's cultural context is inseparable from its environmental value, because the survival of its steppe flora is largely due to centuries of low-intensity agricultural use. The traditional cherry and apricot orchards that dominated the site during the twentieth century functioned almost as a de facto conservation system, maintaining open conditions and limiting intensive cultivation, even as their primary purpose was economic. Many of the original fruit trees still stand in the area, giving the protected site an unusually layered identity that combines botanical heritage with rural Moravian orchard tradition.

The 1990s sand mining episode, including the reclamation afforestation that followed, is also part of the cultural story of the site. It illustrates how post-industrial land management decisions, even when ecologically well-intentioned, can conflict with conservation goals, and it frames Volkramy as a case study in how small protected areas must continually negotiate with the legacy of past land-use choices.

For the wider community, Volkramy is part of the regional identity of South Moravia, a region where small steppe fragments, traditional orchards, villages like Němčany, and the gentle hills of the Litenčice uplands together form a distinctive rural landscape. Its designation as a protected nature monument reflects an acknowledgment that even small, locally specialized places carry broader cultural and natural significance.

Volkramy's standout feature is its compact but exceptionally rich dry-grassland habitat on sandy substrate, supporting over 350 recorded species in just over seven hectares and sheltering some of the most threatened steppe plants and insects of south Moravia. The combination of open steppe, surviving traditional orchards, and a sand quarry under restoration gives the site a uniquely layered landscape profile.

Equally distinctive is the integration of the site into Europe's wider conservation network through its overlap with a Site of Community Importance, alongside an active management vision that includes restoring vertical sandy cliffs to host sand martin and European bee-eater colonies. Despite its youth as a protected site, Volkramy offers an unusually complete model of how a tiny grassland fragment can be preserved and restored in a modern agricultural region.

As a small, ecologically specialized grassland site, Volkramy is most rewarding to experience when its characteristic flora and insect fauna are most active. Late spring and early summer are typically the strongest period for observing steppe plants such as the large-flowered pasqueflower in bloom, along with grasslands rich in flowering herbs that support a wide range of butterflies and other insects.

In the warm lowland climate of South Moravia, summers can be hot and dry, which is precisely the condition that shapes the site's character and makes the open dry-grassland habitats, including the sand quarry, especially atmospheric. Autumn brings softer light and harvest-time activity across the surrounding agricultural landscape, while winter offers the quietest, least biologically active conditions for a visit, though the open terrain remains accessible on foot.