Ep. 6: When nature surprises us: the steppe that refused to become forest

For fifty years, Karel Prach returned to the same abandoned field in the Bohemian Karst expecting trees to gradually reclaim the land. Instead, nature had a completely different plan. Competitive grasses held their ground, and steppe species - rare plants adapted to dry grasslands - established themselves where forest should have grown.

This episode explores why secondary succession doesn't follow a single script. Climate, soil moisture, and surrounding ecosystems all shape the outcome. In this case, dry limestone hills transformed an abandoned field into something far more valuable for conservation: grassland habitat for endangeredspecies.

Karel's fifty-year study reminds us that nature often surprises us - and that the best science means observing patiently, letting nature work, and being ready to revise our expectations.

Welcome to WILDCARD: The Forest Game, the scientific podcast that explores Europe's rewilding revolution through real ecological detective stories, uncovering how nature recovers when humans step back and observe.

CREDITS

«WILDCARD. The Forest Game» is a podcast production written by Silvia Giralucci for the WILDCARD project and Starter.

Featuring: Karel Prach, University of South Bohemia inČeské Budějovice and Giorgio Alberti, University of Udine.

Scientific Supervisor: Giorgio Alberti, University of Udine

Editorial Supervisor: Gesche Schifferdecker, European Forest Institute

Voice-over: Rahel Könen, European Forest Institute

Post-production: Sara Uzquiano, European Forest Institute

Graphic design and visuals: Gabriela Rueda, European Forest Institute

⬇️Audiotranscription available HERE

Learn more about the WILDCARD project: ⁠www.wildcard-project.eu ⁠

European Forest Institute:⁠ www.efi.int ⁠

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